


Rent - Royalty AU

by anothergayrentfan, transmarkcohen



Category: Rent (2005), Rent - Larson
Genre: A LOT of babies, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Assassination, Babies, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, F/M, Genderfluid Character, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, Languages and Linguistics, M/M, Minor Character Death, Murder, Original Character(s), POV First Person, Princes & Princesses, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, not yet but soon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:00:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 43,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25634713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anothergayrentfan/pseuds/anothergayrentfan, https://archiveofourown.org/users/transmarkcohen/pseuds/transmarkcohen
Summary: An AU where Joanne's kingdom is taken over by Mark's and they're supposed to get married for his kingdom, but Joanne is a lesbian and doesn't want that to happen, so she... takes matters into her own hands. It's interesting I swear. Oh, and unlike my other fic, this one has paragraphs. My friend taught me, lol. It's set in the late 1800s as well, though LGBTQ+ laws are slightly different. Does involve murder and death, also some implied sex and sex jokes so if any of that makes you uncomfy then maybe don't read. Also there is going to be a lot of babies later. I'm adding my best friend as a co-creator because he's helped so much that this is kinda also his fic. thank you Felix ily <3I also have a map, if anyone's interested:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D3A80n4obyDk2scTnkt-Pz21_Uaou4R2LFamvzhxE9Q/edit?usp=sharing
Relationships: Joanne Jefferson/Maureen Johnson, Mark Cohen/Roger Davis, Mimi Marquez/Original Character(s), Thomas B. Collins/Angel Dumott Schunard
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	1. Prologue/Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

  * For [transmarkcohen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/transmarkcohen/gifts).
  * Translation into Français available: [RENT Univers Alternatif - Royale](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25789474) by [anothergayrentfan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anothergayrentfan/pseuds/anothergayrentfan), [transmarkcohen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/transmarkcohen/pseuds/transmarkcohen)



Prologue 

War. Fighting. Blood. Yelling. Gunshots. Tears. All I’ve ever known.  
The war started when I was just three years old. The king and queen, my parents, couldn’t defend their small kingdom for long. We were the smallest of all the kingdoms, Voathiel, the easiest to attack. Our army only lasted for a few months on their own, as we were attacked by the biggest of the kingdoms, Miradot. Though they were the biggest, they were the most hated. And so the other kingdoms sent in their armies. So many soldiers were filing through our kingdom. It’s one of my earliest memories, waves and waves of soldiers.  
The war went on for fourteen more years. Fourteen years of agony, wrecking our kingdom. Soldiers coming from every direction. Towns being burned. And, at the end of it all… we were defeated.  
The enemy soldiers got to our castle. They burned it down, and they trapped my parents in the blaze. They kidnapped me. I had tried to save my parents, but they dragged me away. I was seventeen, I fought them. It was a useless battle, six soldiers against one princess who just watched her parents burn alive.  
They took me to their castle. Voathiel was gone. They put me in the dungeon until further instruction from their king and queen. And… that’s where the story starts. With me, former princess Joanne of Voathiel, whose unknown fate lies ahead of her. 

Chapter One

I woke up in the dungeon, where they left me for the night. I looked out the window. A perfect view of my still burning kingdom. I sighed, rolling over. Going back to sleep sounded much better than being alive in this hell of a world.  
Just when I started to doze off, I heard loud footsteps march into the room. I huffed, sitting up. Great. More soldiers and their dumb fancy armor.  
“The king and queen want to see you,” the one in the front tells me in a monotone voice.  
I just glared at him in response.  
“It’s at the end of the hall on the sixth floor. Don’t go exploring,” he continues, ignoring my glare.  
I say nothing, waiting until they leave. After that, I stood up, looking at myself in the window’s reflection. I had none of my belongings left, they were all burned. Just the dress I was wearing, which was torn and covered in burn marks. I lost my shoes somewhere in the scuffle, and my hair was a mess. I wiped some of the ash off my cheek, gazing out the window. I miss my parents. My kingdom. “Normal life”, whatever that was.

Once I convinced myself to go, I headed up the many flights of stairs. I thought about exploring, but couldn’t. There were guards at every door. Miradot wasted so much on guards, but I guess it’s their fault for making everyone hate them.  
After climbing up to the sixth floor, I realized how easy it was to tell that this was the throne room. Or rather, floor. Portraits of their family lined both of the walls. There was a king, queen, and a prince, all of which were blonde. The king and queen looked like bitches, but the boy was kind of… charming, in a nerdy kind of way. Though I’m way too gay to like him in that way.  
I stopped examining the portraits, going up to the doors. I looked at my clothes, smoothing my dress down as best as I could. I looked like I just crawled out of a dumpster fire. Great. I sighed, preparing. I pushed open the door, about to face the king and queen who killed my family, and took my kingdom.  
I walked towards their thrones. Two big ones for the king and the queen, and a smaller one in the middle for their son. I stood in front of them, refusing to bow. I would never bow to these murderers.  
“We have plans for you, young girl,” the king told me. I said nothing in reply.  
“In one year, you will marry our son, and become the new queen of our kingdom,” the queen finished for her husband.  
I blinked in shock. They wanted me to be the queen of their kingdom? Was that what this was for?  
My thoughts were interrupted when the queen spoke again.  
“We will give you one year to get to know our son. Now, son, go show your princess around. And please, get her some new clothes,” the queen looked down at me in disapproval. She pushed her son out of his throne, towards me.  
He looked at me, nodding his head towards the door. He looked… almost scared. I followed him into the hallway, where he finally spoke.  
“I’m sorry about my parents,” he sighed.  
I blinked. He was being nice. That was a surprise.  
“You’re being… nice?” I replied cautiously.  
He sighed, leaning against a wall. “My parents are tyrants. I hate the reputation Mirardot has. I want to change it, but I don’t know how. Even if I was king, you would be the queen. The queen, who we took from the kingdom that we burned,” he closed his eyes, thinking.  
I felt bad, honestly. He wasn’t like his parents at all. And I almost wanted to help him fix Mirardot. But… He’s a guy. I’m not marrying a man.  
“I want to help you,” I said, after a minute.  
He looked up. “Really?” he asked me, hopeful.  
I nodded. “You aren’t like your parents. You’re your own person. So… well, let's start with getting to know each other, okay?” I said.  
He smiled, nodding. “I’m Mark,” he introduced himself.  
I gave a small smile. “Joanne,” I said.  
“C’mon, let’s get you some better clothes,” he said, standing up.  
“Thanks,” I said, running a hand through my hair. It still had ashes in it.  
We started walking through the hallways. The guards weren’t glaring at me anymore, which is nice.  
Mark put his hands in his pockets, looking down. “I’ve never liked my parents. They’re power-hungry, and want so much. I don’t know why. It’s unnecessary,” he sighed.  
“We’ll change what Mirardot stands for, don’t worry,” I comforted him.  
He smiled, pushing his glasses up. “Now, I think the wardrobe floor is the fourth floor,”  
“...you have an entire floor for clothes?!” I exclaimed.  
He laughed. “Yeah. My mom likes shopping, and she didn’t have anywhere to put it anymore, so we gave her her own floor,” Mark shrugged.  
“Rich people…” I shook my head.  
Mark laughed again. “Yeah,” he looked down.  
“You know, it’s nice having someone to talk to. I never had any real friends, because of the whole prince thing,” he told me.  
I smiled. It was really sweet, actually. “I’ve never had a friend, either. My kingdom was always wracked with war, and the kids always assumed it was something to do with my family, so they didn’t want to talk to me,” I frowned, thinking about my kingdom. A life I would never have again.  
“I’m sorry,” Mark apologized.  
“It’s okay. I’ve just got to put my past behind me,” I bit my lip.  
“Well, we’ve reached the wardrobe floor,” he told me, pushing open the door.

The door opened to what looked like a huge walk in closet, but in a long corridor. Dresses were hung up as far as the eye could see, there were shoe racks lining the floor, jewelry cases in some places. It had more clothes than my entire kingdom probably had.  
Mark laughed at my stare. “Yeah, it’s pretty impressive,” he smiled.  
“So your mom doesn’t care what I take?” I asked in disbelief.  
“Yeah, pretty much. Some of these dresses haven’t been touched in so long they’re dusty,” he walked up to one, which did in fact have dust on it.  
Wow…” I started walking, looking at all the gorgeous dresses. It’s weird, I’ve always loved how dresses look, but I never really liked wearing them. Either way, I don’t have a choice. Girls wear dresses, boys wear suits. That’s how it’s always been.  
“After you pick out some clothes, I’ll take you to your new bedroom,” he told me.  
“Oh, so no more dungeon for me?” I joked.  
“I’m still annoyed they put you there. No one deserves that, not even prisoners,” Mark said, sounding angry.  
“Thanks. It definitely wasn’t fun,” I replied, continuing to look at the dresses.  
“Your room has its own closet, but you can always come back here if you want more,” Mark said, following behind me.  
“Alright. I think we can go now,” I said. I picked out four dresses and one pair of shoes.  
Mark looked at what I picked, probably the four plainest dresses there.  
“I don’t like fancy stuff,” I shrugged at him.  
“No, I think it’s cool. I met a lot of royalty, considering my family’s many dinner parties, and they’re all… just, so snobby and rich acting. It’s nice seeing a normal royal person,” he told me as we started leaving the wardrobe floor.  
I smiled sadly. “Thanks. That’s… what my parents taught me. They always told me to never let my status get to my head…” I looked at the floor, lost in thought.  
He nodded. “I… I never really understood status. Why is it that my family is the most important in the kingdom? Why are they more deserving than the other people in our kingdom? It doesn’t make sense to me,” he sighed, leading me down a flight of stairs.  
“Yeah, I see what you mean. It doesn’t make sense at all. We need to change it, but… I don’t know how. We’re just two people,” I replied, thinking.  
“Well… we can still try. I’m the only heir of the most powerful kingdom, that has to mean something, right?” Mark said, hopeful.  
I sighed. “I really hope so. Our entire country's government is corrupt, and it needs to be changed,” I said.  
We stopped in front of a door on the second floor. Mark opened the door, and I trailed behind him.  
“Well, this is your room,” he told me, rocking on his feet.  
I smiled a little. “Thanks,” I headed over to the closet, hanging up the dresses. Afterwards, I turned back to Mark. he was sitting on the bed, so I joined him.  
“So, what exactly’s going to happen?” I asked. The only information I had was the marriage that I needed to stop.  
“Well, in a year we get married, and then my parents go to a retirement home, and we get to rule the kingdom,” he explained.  
I nodded. “Pretty straightforward. But…” I sighed. “I need to tell you something,” I said.  
Mark furrowed his brow, looking worried. “What is it?” he asked.  
“I… I’m a lesbian,” I exhaled, scared.  
“Oh… that’s…” He paused, looking for words.  
“I’m sorry,” I apologized.  
“No, it’s not your fault. But… my parents,” Mark bit his lip, thinking.  
I nodded. “I don’t know what to do,” I sighed.  
“Don’t worry, we’ll figure something out. Let’s just take it one step at a time,” he reassured me.  
I laughed shakily. “Thanks. For now, I think we should just pretend to go along with their plans. It might be easier,” I replied.  
Mark agreed. “We have a year to figure things out, that’s plenty of time,” he said.  
“Yeah. we can just get to know each other for now, since I think we at least need to be friends,” I smiled.  
He laughed, happy. “Yeah, that sounds good. And… well, I was actually questioning my sexuality a few years ago, but my dad told me I wasn’t anything other than straight, and that he would have a… a fag in the family,” Mark rambled, fidgeting with his hands.  
“I’m sorry. Your parents are…” I trailed off, not wanting to be rude.  
“Don’t worry, I know they’re awful,” he said.  
“Yeah. I’d say more, but we’d be here all day,” I smirked.  
Mark laughed. “Thanks. Soon, we’ll have them out of ruling. I don’t know how, but we can do it,” he said.  
I nodded, thinking. “Would it be easier to do with more people? I know you may not be on the best terms with the other kingdoms and villages, considering Mirardot’s reputation, but I can try and convince them,” I thought aloud.  
“Yeah, that might be helpful. I… I don’t know how I feel about it might be easier to reform Mirardot if we…” he stopped, fidgeting with his hands.  
“Kill your parents?” I finished his sentence in a whisper.  
He just nodded.  
“If we… do that, then we’ll definitely need more people,” I said.  
“Yeah. I hate my parent’s goals, but they’re still my parents. But… it’s for the better,” he sighed.  
“It’ll be okay, don’t worry,” I hesitantly patted his knee.  
Mark smiled shyly. “Thanks,” he pushed his glasses up.  
I didn’t think I would like anyone from Mirardot after the lifelong trauma they gave me, but Mark was actually okay. He felt like my first real friend in this world. It was a nice feeling.  
“I hate to ruin the moment, but my parents want you to join us for dinner tonight,” his voice snapped me out of my thoughts.  
“Oh no,” I said.  
“We’re going to have to pretend that we’re going along with their plan,” he replied.  
“Yeah, though it’s probably for the best,” I said.  
Mark looked down at his watch. “It’s just past three pm, so we have about three hours before dinner,” he said.  
“Alright. For now, let’s just talk about less heavy things,” I said, smiling.  
Mark laughed. “That sounds good,” he replied.

For the next two and a half hours, I learned a lot about Mark. It turns out we actually have a lot in common. But of course, all good things must come to an end. Before I knew it, it was already five thirty.  
“Well, I think we should go and get ready,” Mark sighed.  
“Ugh. I hate adults,” I said.  
Mark laughed a little, getting up. “Me too,” he said.  
After saying goodbye, Mark went to his room to get dressed. I went to get on one of the new dresses. I was reluctant to put it on. Clothing is a big part of the respective kingdoms, and the new dresses were in Mirardot’s dramatic style. Either long, flowing dresses, or poofy ball gowns, both with too many fancy flourishes and jewels for my liking. Voathiel’s dresses were shorter, focusing less on the accessories and more on the colours. All of our clothing was plain, but bright and colourful. My dress is- or was, now that it’s covered in ash and dirt- a dress with beautiful dark navys and greens. I sighed, taking it off reluctantly. I probably shouldn’t have kept it, considering it was beyond repair, but I did anyway. I was going to miss my kingdom.  
After putting on the Mirardot dress- a long, satin, lavender dress with amethysts and lace decorating it- I looked at myself in the mirror. I brushed through my hair, getting rid of the ash. I still had my Voathiel tiara. Another big part of the kingdoms. Our crowns were delicate and silver, but I couldn’t put it on. It was considered rude to even wear a different kingdom’s crown, let alone to a royal dinner. I sighed. Tonight was going to be a long night.  
After finishing getting ready, I met Mark in the hallway. He was wearing a suit with long coat tails, and his Mirardot crown.  
“I hate this crown,” Mark complained as we began walking.  
“That’s fair,” I said. Mirardot crowns were big and made of gold. Like the dresses, they were also covered in jewels. It seemed excessive, but what wasn’t in Mirardot.  
Mark sighed, running his hands down his shirt. “I’m nervous,” he said.  
“It’s okay. We have each other, we can do this,” I tried to smile.  
He nodded, taking a deep breath. I felt a little guilty. If I was straight, this could all go as planned… no, no it couldn’t. It was good I was finally breaking this corrupt cycle.  
“You ready?” Mark asked.  
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I said.  
He pushed open the doors, walking inside with me trailing behind. Going to face whatever fate had in store for us.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New POVs in this chapter! Also it's almost 3000 words, oops

Roger’s POV  
I woke up in my bedroom on the first floor of the Mirardot castle. It wasn’t much, considering I’m a servant, but it’s all I’ve ever known. I was born into it, as well as my entire family. We’re meant to be serving the king and queen, and that’s our purpose. I… I want to question it, it doesn’t feel right, but I can’t. There’s no way out, and making a big deal out of it wouldn’t do any good.  
“Roger?” My mom’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.  
“Yeah?” Every family shares a room. It’s just me and my mom at this point, as my dad died of malnutrition shortly after I was born. I don't remember him.  
“We have a big dinner to cook tonight. They’re welcoming the new princess,” She told me.  
I nodded. Cooking was part of the job, but I didn’t like it. I liked writing music, but had little time to do so. My mom had gotten me an old guitar for my 16th birthday a year and half ago, using almost a year's worth of her savings. I’m grateful for it. My mom could be strict, but I love her. She’s all I have in this world.

Later, while cooking, I started thinking again. I knew of the situation between Voathiel and Mirardot, word gets around, but… it still doesn’t feel like Mirardot is in the right. I shouldn’t be questioning it, keeping my mouth shut is the right thing to do. But I can’t. I sighed, chopping the carrots a little harder than necessary.  
“Roger, is there something on your mind?” My mom asked me.  
I hesitated, then said, “No, nothing important,” No point in bringing up.  
She nodded, gently taking the knife from my hands. My mom didn’t know what I was stressed about, but she knew something was up. I went to do something that didn’t involve a knife, trying to abandon my thoughts.

Eventually, night came, and it was time to serve the big dinner. I got a glance at the princess, and, though pretty, she seemed angry. I don’t blame her, though. Her kingdom was taken, and then she was being forced into marriage here. Not a fun life. Oh great, my thoughts were back. How does one tell their brain to fuck off? I shook my head, refilling the water glasses. Maybe I would accept my thoughts eventually, but for now, I didn’t want to deal with anything complicated. I was on Mirardot’s side, good or not, because that’s how it’s always been. There’s no changing that.

After the dinner, I was going to get ready for bed, but my mom stopped me.  
“Roger, the king wants to see you,” she said, sounding very worried.  
I started to panic. If the king wanted to see you, it was either very good, or very bad. Either way, it was a big deal.  
I just nodded, not wanting to worry my mom further. She hugged me, kissing my forehead gently. I hugged back, then let go.  
“Be safe,” she told me.  
I nodded again, unable to find my voice. I began my walk all the way up to the sixth floor. Another one of the ways to show status, having five floors between us. Sometimes, being a servant sucked. Why am I thinking about that right now? I should be thinking about what the king wants. Seriously, what could it be? Again, I’m just a lowly servant, amongst another hundred servants, what could he want with me? I shook my head. Too many possibilities. I’d just need to wait until I get there. Only… three more flights of stairs. I smiled, despite what felt like the walk to my death. I haven’t left my floor in a long time, besides moving up to the dining hall. As a kid, I used to explore these hallways all the time, playing fantasy games by myself for hours.  
Sometimes, I wish I could go back. Go back to when my only worry was how much time I’d have to play. Not what side I’m on, or what the king wanted, or whatever servant duty would take me away from my music. I just wanted to go back.  
Well, here I am. At the king's door. Time to face my fate. Good or bad. This felt like one of the worst things. What if I did something wrong and he decided to kill me? What if I didn’t do anything wrong and he just wanted to kill me for fun? And no, I’m not exaggerating. My mom lost three of her friends just because the king was bored. I sighed. No point in stalling. Here I go.

Joanne’s POV  
So, the dinner actually went okay. Don’t get me wrong, Mark’s parents definitely hate me, but they were trying to be nice. Sort of. Also, I learned that they have servants, some of whom look as young as Mark and I. Our kingdom only had a few servants, and they actually got food and pay, unlike what it seemed these servants got. Just when I thought Mirardot couldn’t get more horrible.  
Anyway, I’m in my room, getting ready for bed. Today felt like an eternity. Tomorrow, Mark and I needed to plan. For now, it was time for sleep. 

Roger’s POV  
I knelt before the king before getting up to greet him. “Your majesty,” I said, but he waved his hand at me.  
“I need you to be a spy,” he told me, sounding annoyed. I guess it was too much for him to speak to a low life servant.  
“A… a spy?” I clarified.  
“You heard me. You were the kid always exploring the castle, I can see it in your eyes. Befriend my son, I can tell they’re up to something, and I don’t like it,” he said.  
I nodded.  
“And if you fuck it up… I’ll have your head. It’ll look great on my wall,” the king snarled at me.  
“I won’t, sir,” I kneeled again, then got out of there. The king was scary.  
Well, now I had to befriend a prince and princess. Or… maybe I didn’t need to do what the king wanted. No, that’s stupid… Either way, I should think about this in the morning. It was late, and I needed to let my mom know what was going on. This wasn’t going to be a short task.  
Once I got back downstairs, I talked to my mom.  
“Befriend a prince? That doesn’t sound easy. But I know you can do it,” my mom told me.  
I laughed a little. “Thanks,” I hugged her.  
After that, we went to bed. I had a long day tomorrow, and no idea how to do it. Did I even want to? I had no choice. It was this, or death, which I conveniently didn’t tell my mom. I should figure this out in the morning. Brain, fuck off. I layed still for a minute. Nope, that didn’t work. I sighed, rolling over again. It’ll be fine. I’ll figure something out.  
After trying to sleep for another ten minutes, I decided it wasn’t working. I got out of bed, grabbed my guitar and my notebook, and hopped out the window. I turned the corner, and found the ladder I built on a free day a few years ago. It probably wasn’t the sturdiest, but sneaking through the castle and risking getting caught by the guards. I climbed up the ladder carefully, which led to the astronomy tower. It was never occupied this late, which made it perfect for music.  
I wrote a few lyrics, thinking. You know… maybe Mirardot wasn’t a good country. I grew up here, and may be biased because of the whole servant thing, but… maybe there needed to be change. Maybe…  
Joanne’s POV  
Early the next morning, Mark came to wake me up.  
“Joanne, I had an idea!” he exclaimed.  
I yawned, sitting up. I was barely awake. “What?” I replied.  
“Well… I have a sister. My parents disowned her four years ago, because she’s bisexual. Her name is Maureen. She was sixteen then, and would be twenty now,” Mark explained.  
That woke me up. “Could we find her?” I asked.  
Mark nodded. “Probably. There’s a forest behind our kingdom. Well, it’s behind the walls of the country, and not on the map, but it still exists. We… We were pretty close. I know she went there,” Mark bit his lip.  
“I’m sorry. Your parents suck,” I hesitantly put my hand on his knee.  
He smiled a little. “Thanks. I miss her. But I don’t think it would be good to find her just yet. My parents aren’t going to be happy about it,” Mark sighed.  
I nodded. “We should wait until we… get rid of them,” I said.  
“Yeah,” Mark paused for a second, then spoke again. “Actually… Maureen might actually be able to help,” he said.  
“Really?” I asked. Maureen sounded like a badass. I’d much rather marry her over Mark. Sorry Mark.  
“I met up with her at the wall, around a year and a half ago. She actually started some sort of gang, with a pretty big following. They could help us… kill my parents,” he said.  
“Do you two keep in contact?” I was curious about Maureen now, and may already have a crush. Fucking lesbian brain.  
“Kind of. She sent me a few letters with a different name, but we don’t want our parents catching on. It’s risky,” Mark replied.  
“That’s fair. Is there any way we can contact her?” I feel annoying asking so many questions, but I needed answers, and Mark didn’t seem to mind.  
“She gave me an address for ‘emergencies’, but this seems like enough of an emergency,” Mark shrugged.  
I nodded. “Alright, I think we’ve got a plan. Go get dressed, we have a lot to do,” Joanne instructed.  
Mark nodded, blushing a little. He left the room quickly. He better not have a crush on me, I swear. I sighed, not wanting to think about that. I got out of bed, going to my closet. I stared at my dresses, thinking. You know, why do girls have to wear dresses? What if… I liked suits better? Yeah, that was it! That’s why I was looking at Mark’s outfit so much yesterday… suits would be so much more fun to wear.  
No time for that right now, though. We had to find a runaway sister. I pulled my dress on, and went to go find Mark. We had a lot of planning to do. I headed to Mark’s room, and he was already dressed and scribbling in a notebook on his bed.  
“Hey. What are you writing?” I greeted Mark, sitting next to him.  
He jumped. “You scared me,” he said, flipping his page over.  
I laughed a little. “Sorry,” I looked at his notebook curiously.  
“I’m… it’s nothing,” he sighed.  
“Long story?” I asked.  
“Well… more like secret. I’ve been into cinematography for a while, after buying a camera off of a merchant in secret. I don’t want to know what my parents would think,” Mark admitted, fidgeting with his hands.  
I nodded. “I think that’s cool, though I don't understand it at all,” I replied. We had some technology, but it wasn’t common. I think everyone’s afraid of change.  
He laughed. “That’s why I keep it secret. If people don’t understand something, chances are they’ll think it’s bad and want to destroy it,” he shrugged.  
“Yeah. I won’t tell anyone. I don’t even know who I’d tell if I wanted to,” I said.  
“Yep. Fuck my parents,” Mark said, tearing a paper out of his notebook. “Now, let’s write a letter,” he grinned.  
“Keep it vague. We can explain more in real life, just in case the letter gets intercepted,” I said.  
Mark nodded. “That’s fair,” he started writing.  
“All you really need to mention is that we need her help, and… well, mentioning the whole rebellion thing probably isn’t a good idea, so just say we aren’t going to turn her in,” I rambled.  
He nodded again. “Okay, it’s going to be really short, but that’s fine,” he said.  
“Yeah, nothing wrong with being short. You’re living proof,” I teased him.  
“Hey,” Mark pouted. I laughed, considering I was definitely taller than him, especially in heels.  
After another minute of writing, Mark showed me the letter.

Dear Maureen,  
It’s Mark again. I need you. I’m seventeen now, and Mirardot took over Voathiel, and our parents want me to marry the Voathiel princess. But we need your help… since that isn’t happening. I don’t want to say too much, but meet me at the wall, tomorrow around 8am. I’ll explain then.  
Mark  
“Okay, that looks good. Does anyone in the castle look at your mail?” I wanted to make sure. One wrong move and our whole plan would be ruined.  
“I send them at the local post office, wearing a disguise. I don’t want to risk anything,” Mark reassured me.  
“Alright, let’s do that,” I said, wanting to do this quickly. Definitely not my lesbian brain wanting to meet Maureen.  
Mark laughed. “You just want to meet Maureen, don’t you?” he said.  
I felt my cheeks get red. “Nooo… shut up,” I buried my face in my hands, embarrassed.  
Mark laughed again. “Sorry. But it would still be good to do this quickly anyway,” he began getting up.  
I nodded, getting up. This… quest, mission, adventure, whatever we were on, felt so exhilarating. I was finally getting somewhere in my life. It’s great.  
Mark opened the door, letter in hand… and a boy fell into the room. Looking like he was spying.  
Roger’s POV  
After I woke up, I decided that I was going full spy mode. I didn’t know how to befriend people, and the king wanted my head, so might as well. And now here I was, listening outside the prince’s door.  
Oh fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. My only thoughts as I tumbled straight into the two royal kids’ path.  
Joanne’s POV  
I may or may not have let my anger get the best of me, but I couldn’t let someone get in the way of this. I tackled the spy, pinning him down, just generally trying to restrain him.  
“Joanne, calm down!” Mark tried to pull me off of him. The other boy looked frozen in fear.  
“You have one minute to explain yourself,” I told him, annoyed I didn’t have my dagger on me. Why didn’t I use that against the guards when I was captured? No, there’s no time for this right now.  
“I…” he held his hands up. “I was with the king, but I want to join you. I’m Roger Davis, a servant of Mirardot. I want to help. Please don’t kill me,” he hung his head to the floor.  
I looked at Mark, asking for his judgment silently.  
He shrugged. “Roger seems innocent enough, and we could always use the extra help. And… he’s kinda cute,” Mark said.  
I sighed heavily. “It’s been five seconds and you’re already falling in love with him. Seriously?” I mean, I did the same with Maureen, but not the point.  
Mark shrugged, grinning a little. “I can’t help it,” he said.  
I took a deep breath. “Fine. Roger, welcome to our side,” I offered a hand out to him.  
Roger laughed shakily. “Thank you, so much,” he took my hand, getting up. “And you’re cute too, as long as she doesn’t try and kill me again,” Roger finished his sentence, dusting himself off.  
I laughed. “Is anyone straight here?” I joked, trying to lighten the mood.  
Mark shook his head. “And I hope Roger isn’t straight,” he said.  
Roger shrugged. “I haven’t thought about that enough. Now, can I have any explanation on what’s happened, I didn’t get enough context,” he asked.  
I nodded. “We’ll explain on the way to the post office. Oh, and my name is Joanne. That’s Mark,” I told him.  
He smiled. “Thanks,” he said.  
We all started going to the post office, after Mark put in his contacts and got a cloak to wear. No one could catch on, we didn’t need someone else to almost ruin our plans. 

Roger’s POV  
After a twenty minute walk to the post office, I learned that Mark and Joanne were actually really cool. Definitely had plans to kill the two most powerful people in the kingdom, but nice nonetheless. Well, when she wasn’t trying to strangle me. Okay, Mark’s nice, and Joanne’s intimidating. Still a good person, but scary.  
“So… we’re sending a letter to Mark’s sister who’s in a gang to try and kill his parents?” I summed up our conversation.  
“Basically,” Joanne smirked.  
I grinned. “Badass,” now that they were more or less my friends, I was less scared to be myself. This wasn’t a spy mission, I was actually on their side. I was… going to break my family’s cycle of being servants. I couldn’t help but smile. Fuck you, king of Mirardot. It was time to end your cruel, tortuous cycle.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is really long, though all my chapters are lol.

Mimi’s POV  
I stood up, dusting my hands off. I just planted more carrots in our vegetable garden. I was a peasant girl from the village of Rhelilith, the poorest village. We made our living off of selling produce, since our village had the best soil. People seemed to think our village was the worst, but it wasn’t all bad. Everyone in our village was grateful for what they had, and were all nice and caring. I found it beautiful.  
I headed inside, putting away the vegetables I’d picked. I lived in a small cottage with my mom and dad, and my three siblings. It was a little cramped, but I still loved my family.  
“Mimi, could you set the table?” My mom called from her room.  
“I will, mom,” I called back. We were a pretty standard family. Poor, but we had each other. It was a good enough life for me.

After dinner, I went on a walk. I had friends all over Alilaseth, our country. It was a small place, and Mirardot took up a fourth of the land, so it was easy to walk to the other villages and kingdoms. You may need a bike for some places, but we were all close. I even dated a boy in Eloiri, but we broke up… and my best friend was actually a wizard. One of the kingdoms was run by wizards, Galawia, and she was from there. The only inconvenience was that, to get there, I needed to cross through Wicirap. No one could build a bridge from Rhelilith to Galawia because of the giant octopus. And the sea dragons. Yeah, the wizard kingdom is a little strange.   
I crossed the bridge, then walked along the river, appreciating nature. Alilaseth was an island, and had rivers flowing through the borders of the kingdoms and villages. It was beautiful. I guess that’s what being poor taught me. Appreciate the little things in life, find the beauty in them. It was nice.  
After crossing through Wicirap, I made my way to Galawia. The rivers were actually a nice guide, it wasn’t easy to get lost if you just followed them. I finally arrived in Galawia, walking through the kingdom’s gates. Galawia felt so alive, the streets filled with lights and music. People were just… always so lively. The streets always had people dancing and singing, it was so nice.  
I’ve never been to Mirardot, but I have been to Eloiri, and Voathiel once, before it was destroyed. Most of the people in the villages were nice, and Voathiel and Galawia were too. But… well, Eloiri was different, and so was Diralith, the only mean village. Eloiri used to have nice people, like my ex, but… there was a war. It was only a small one, considering the fifteen year long war between Mirardot and Voathiel, but it was a war nonetheless. Eloiri and Diralith decided to team up and go for Galawia. They felt threatened by their magic, I guess. Their war only lasted for two years though, and it ended a year ago. No one won, there were casualties on both sides, and the only thing it did was create a rivalry between Galawia and Eloiri and Diralith.  
That’s when I had to break up with my boyfriend… Benny. He told me I had to stop being friends with my… wizard friend, I won't use the word he used, or he’d break up with me. I wasn’t going to leave my friend, so he broke up with me. I… I don’t miss him. I miss the person he used to be, before the war. It’s… complicated. But I would never choose a boy over my best friend… a girl, maybe, but that’s a different story.  
“Angel!” I was finally at my friend's house, and called her name through her window.   
“Mimi!” I heard Angel running downstairs.  
I smiled. Angel used to live in Rhelilith, where her dad is from. Her dad isn’t a wizard, so it was okay when Angel was a baby, but as soon as her magic started showing, she had to go to Galawia with her mom. Her parents are separated, hence the different living situations. I met Angel in my village when she was visiting her dad. We were only six, but became friends really quickly.   
Angel opened her door, hugging me tightly. “I missed you!” she said.  
I laughed. “It’s only been a week!” I exclaimed.  
“Too long,” she shook her head, opening the door further.   
“Y’all need to do something about the giant octopus. I need to take the long way because of him,” I took off my shoes, following Angel to her room.  
“You mean Sylvester? Yeah, he has a mind of his own. Not much we can do,” Angel shrugged, flopping onto her bed.   
I laughed, sitting next to her. “Have you been working on anything new recently?” I asked. Angel sewed her own clothes, and they were all gorgeous.  
“I have lots of ideas, but I haven’t started any. I guess I just haven’t been motivated recently,” Angel replied.  
“You need a partner,” I smiled.  
Angel laughed. “No, you,” she said.   
Mark’s POV  
After sending the letter, we all headed back to the castle. It was decided that we weren’t going to get to do anything else productive today, so Joanne headed to her own room. Roger… well, he came with me to my room, and I can’t say I wasn’t happy about his decision.   
“So, what’s it like being a prince?” Roger asked me with a grin after we both sat down on my bed.   
I shrugged. “I should be grateful, I am grateful, but it’s exhausting,” I sighed. “My family are… well, you know. Cruel, tyrants, all the not good things. I don’t want to be like them, but what if I end up like that? What if it just… runs in the family?” I stopped, looking at my hands. I may or may not have just overshared.  
Roger paused for a minute before speaking. “I’m sorry. I… I meant it as a joke, but wow. Maybe being a servant isn’t as bad as I thought. But don’t worry. You aren’t like them. As long as you aren’t forcing marriage on anyone or randomly beheading people, you’ll be okay,” Roger reassured me, putting his hand on mine.   
I smiled. “Thanks. I know being a servant isn’t fun, but neither is being the prince of Miardot,” I said.  
“It’ll be okay. We have each other, and we can do it,” he squeezed my hand.  
I grinned, blushing a little. “I’ve known you for about two hours, but I already want to kiss you,” I admitted.  
Roger laughed under his breath. “Then do it,” he raised his eyebrows.  
I leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. It was wonderful. It felt like fireworks, like fire and passion, like a breezy summer day… amazing.   
Roger grinned after we pulled away. “I think I love you,” he said.  
I smiled. “Think?” I teased.  
He laughed. God, such a wonderful sound. “I know I love you,” he said as he pulled me in for another kiss, and I wrapped my arms around him.  
He squeezed me tightly, and at this point I was on his lap.  
“Who knew an unknown servant could have the crown prince of the biggest kingdom in Alilaseth on his lap within two hours?” Roger joked.  
I laughed, my face going red again. “Status shouldn’t matter though. I love you for you,” I said. Now that I think about it, the walk back was mainly just me and Roger talking. Sorry Joanne.   
Roger grinned. “I mean, if you’re ready for it, we could get to know each other in a… more intimate way…” Roger’s grinned turned into a sultry smile.  
“I-I… you want to… with me?” I stammered, looking down.  
Roger laughed darkly. “If you want to, then yeah,” he ran his hand across my leg.  
“I mean… yeah, I do,” I grinned, the shock wearing off.   
And, well, I’ll spare you the details, but that was one of the best afternoons of my entire life.  
Joanne’s POV  
After the walk home when I was basically ignored, I knew the two boys were in love. And, as long as it didn’t interfere with anything, I was happy for them. And once we managed to kill Mark’s parents, I think Mirardot was going to have two new kings.   
Not having much to do, I decide to explore the castle further. Avoiding the sixth floor, of course. After passing Mark’s door I heard… something I didn’t want to hear.  
“Already…” I muttered, walking faster. I didn’t need or want to hear my two friends fucking.   
After getting past that, I went up to the third floor, discovering a library. It was huge. They must have everything in here. The walls were all made of shelves, books lining them from floor to ceiling. The middle of the room had a little sitting room, with armchairs and tables. I went over there, a few books on top of one of the tables.   
“Wait…” I picked up one of the books. It was an erotica book. All of them were.  
“Oh my god.” I threw the book back onto the table.   
One of them caught my eye though. It had a big red “forbidden” sticker on it.  
“Oh…” it was a gay erotica book, which looked very old. Well, it gave me a clue to who was reading last night.   
Seriously though, the history of the community in this country is weird. First we were normal and natural, and then we were gross and against god, and now we’re in a kind of in-between. Some places are okay with it, some aren’t, it’s weird. But of course, Mirardot is on the “not okay with us” side. Well, the current rulers aren’t. I’m pretty sure the next rulers will be, especially considering the book I’m holding. I shook my head, putting the book down.  
It felt weird, the peace and quiet. There was always something going on in my kingdom, and then I came here and was instantly thrown into this mission. It’s only a few hours of downtime, but it was still a change.   
I went over to one of the bookshelves, running my hand along it. The amount of books Mirardot had amazed me. After looking for a while, I found the forbidden section. I don’t know why they wouldn’t just get rid of them, but I guess they feel powerful or something, controlling what people can and can’t read. It was hidden pretty well, in the corner and away from the other books.   
“Oh…” I had pulled out a book titled “LGBTQ+ History in Mirardot”.   
Flipping through it, it was actually really extensive and detailed. Mirardot used to be one of the most accepting places, years ago. Flipping to the laws page showed me that being gay and even gay marriage were still technically legal, and had been for a long time.  
But, sometime in history, it was frowned upon once again, and all these laws were hidden away. We were shunned again. It was confusing, honestly. I guess it was a good thing Mark was going to be king.  
I went back to the forbidden section, looking for more LGBTQ+ books. This was just… fascinating, I guess. It was sad that this is real life, but still interesting. I found another two books, which would keep me busy. I still wanted to be a little productive, even if Mark and Roger were… occupied. 

I spent most of the day reading before checking up on Mark and Roger. I made sure to knock first.  
“Are you two done fucking?” I called out.  
Mark opened the door, his entire face red. “We weren’t that loud, were we?”  
I laughed. “Let’s just say I know you’re dating now,” I walked past him, my arms full of books.   
“Not my fault Mark can’t keep his mouth shut,” Roger smirked.  
“Leave me alone,” Mark said, sitting next to Roger.  
Roger laughed, wrapping his arm around Mark.  
“I went to the library, and aside from the erotica books I found, I found some interesting books,” I laid all the history books out.  
“I thought I put those away…” Roger was the one blushing now.  
I laughed. “Stop being horny for a second and look at what I found,” I told them.  
Mark picked up one of the books, skimming through it. “Woah…” he said.  
I nodded. “Being gay is legal, and so is marriage. And Mirardot used to be one of the most accepting places,” I said.  
“So… it’ll be a lot easier for us, right?” Mark looked at me.  
“Once we kill your parents, yeah,” I replied.  
“Is murder just a casual conversation topic now?” Roger asked.  
“Yep,” I said.  
“I… I feel bad,” Mark admitted.  
“Don’t. I know they’re your parents, but there’s no hope for them. This is going to benefit all of Mirardot,” I tried to reassure him.  
Mark just nodded, looking lost.  
“Hey, we’ll be here for you,” Roger hugged him gently.  
He smiled a little. “Thanks. I’m glad we’re making change, but it’s hard,” he sighed, resting his head on Roger’s side.  
I didn’t know what to say, but Roger did. “I… I felt that way too. Before I joined you guys. I was thinking about… well, mostly about breaking the cycle. I felt useless, there was no way I could change anything. My family was always going to a servant to the king, and there was nothing I could do about it,” Roger paused, thinking. “I guess that’s why I took the spy job, besides the threat of beheadment. I was doing something, even if it was bad. But… you two have plans to break the cycle. You’re going to do something about it. And that’s what I wanted. And then Joanne tried to kill me, but I guess I deserved that,” he ended his speech, resting his head on Mark’s again.   
Mark and I sat in thought for a moment. I spoke first. “I… it feels like we all have similar motives. Maybe that’s why we were fast friends. Change is what we all want, and what we need,” I said.  
“There needs to be other people out there too, doesn’t there?” Mark started. “Other people who want to change the ways of the kingdom? Because… well, if we’re going to kill my parents, I think we need more than us. And Maureen, if she accepts,” Mark added.  
“Well, you said Maureen has a gang, right?” Roger asked, lifting his head up again.  
Mark nodded. “Last I heard, she and a bunch of other runaway and disowned kids lived in an abandoned cabin together. That’s where we sent the letter,” he replied.  
“We could also go on a walk across Alilaseth and look for more people. We need all the help we can get,” I added.  
“Hey, maybe this won't be so hard. We’ve got a plan, and we’ll have more people soon enough, and Joanne has made it clear she can kill people. That’s all you need, right?” Mark said.  
“Am I the designated murderer now? Really?” I smirked, half joking.  
Both the boys laughed. “Yeah, I think you made that clear,” Roger replied.  
I shook my head, smiling.  
“Hey, Roger, maybe you could get some of the servants on board. If you’re friendly with them. We could use some adults on this team. Unless there are other kids, they could also help. I-” Mark rambled, but Roger cut him off by squeezing his hand.  
“That’s a good idea, but we get the point,” Roger told him.  
Mark laughed nervously. “Sorry,” he apologized.  
“Speaking of which, I should probably go back to my mom. It’s gotten late, and she might be worried,” Roger said, glancing at the dark sky outside Mark’s window.  
“Wow, it got late fast,” I remarked.  
Roger nodded, getting up. Mark got up as well, putting his hands on Roger’s shoulders. He reached up to kiss him, and Roger wrapped his arms around Mark, deepening the kiss.  
“I’ve gone from fearless leader to third wheel really fast,” I said, again half-joking.  
Mark and Roger disentangled themselves quickly. “Sorry. Cute boys distract me,” Mark grinned.  
Roger laughed. “Glad to be of assistance, prince,” he said, going to leave.  
I shook my head. “You two are gay,” I said.  
“So are you!” Roger called before shutting the door.  
Mark sighed, his gaze lingering on the door.  
“I need a girlfriend,” I said, looking at Mark.  
“Maureen can help with that,” Mark sat next to me.   
I laughed a little, though it didn’t feel genuine. “I… what if I’m not good enough for Maureen?” I sighed, tucking my legs up.  
Mark thought for a moment before speaking. “You can’t force love, that’s not how it works, but I think you and Maureen will be good for each other. Maureen is fierce and wild, and so are you, but you have a more grounded way with your energy. You two will work well together, and, worst comes to worst, you’ll only be friends,” Mark comforted me.  
I nodded. “I think I’m just nervous. I’ve never dated a woman, and the thought of it is both amazing and terrifying,” I said my thoughts aloud.  
“That’s fair. I thought I was prepared for a relationship, but I wasn’t. It’s not really something you can prepare for. You’ll learn, though, don’t worry,” Mark replied.  
“You know, you act like you’ve been in a relationship for a year, not a day,” I joked.  
Mark laughed. “It feels like it’s been longer, I guess,” he said.  
I nodded. “Genuinely though, thank you. I’m still worried, but… less now,” I said, trying to sound nice. Emotions were hard to process.  
Mark smiled. “You’re welcome,” he said.  
“I think I’ll go to bed now. It’s been a long day,” I started to get up.  
He nodded. “I never expected my life to turn into one big mission, but it’s fun,” Mark said.  
I laughed. “Yeah. It’s tiring, but rewarding,” I picked up the books, planning on returning them to the library before bed.  
Mark nodded, standing up and walking to his closet.  
We said goodnight to each other, and I began my walk to the library. It was still weird how big the castle was to me. It still amazed me how a small island of a country like Alilaseth could have so many different cultures in it. I never visited anywhere else, thanks to the war, but I spent a lot of my childhood at the library. Every place had their similarities, but they were all still different in their own way. It was fascinating.   
After putting away the books, I went to my room. As I changed into my pajamas, I was thinking. We were only two days into our mission, but there was still so much to do. We have a year, but I know it’ll go by fast. I sighed, getting into bed. Sleep wasn’t going to come easy.   
So many questions were ringing in my head. How were we going to kill the king and queen? What if they stopped us? What if it resulted in one of my friends’ death? What if it resulted in my death? What if Maureen didn’t want to join us? What if she didn’t like me? Too many thoughts.   
I shook my head, getting out of bed. If I wasn’t going to sleep, I wanted to do something productive. I went back to the library. In all honesty… Well, being a queen sounded alright, but law also fascinated me. I guess royalty did make laws… I don’t know, I guess I want to be a lawyer and a queen. When I got to the library, I found Roger.  
“Oh. Hi,” I said, a little shocked.  
Roger laughed a little. “Hi. couldn’t sleep?” he asked.  
I nodded. “Too many thoughts,” I shrugged, sitting next to him.  
Roger’s POV  
After updating my mom on almost everything (...I may have left out part of Mark and I’s afternoon), she went to bed. I couldn’t sleep, and was thinking about one of the books Joanne found. “Trans laws in Mirardot”. Considering I was basically dating the prince now, I’d assume I’m going to be the other king soon, even if I wasn’t prepared for it. Not only am I used to being a servant, well… Mirardot wasn’t the most accepting place right now. Mark and I would be the first gay kings, and I’d be the first trans king. People most likely wouldn’t react well, but what can you do. I wanted to read the book in detail, even if the law didn’t matter to bigots. It would give me some reassurance.  
After reading for a while, Joanne showed up.  
“Oh. Hi,” she said, sounding surprised.  
I laughed a little. “Hi. couldn’t sleep?” I asked.  
Joanne nodded. “Too many thoughts,” she shrugged, sitting next to me.  
“Same,” I said. “I…” I started talking, but Joanne interrupted me.  
“I’m mostly thinking about Maureen. I don’t know a lot about her, but she sounds amazing and I think I already have a crush on her,” Joanne rambled, leaning on the armchair. She sounded a little like Mark.  
“You are a lesbian,” I told her.  
She sighed. “Yeah…” Joanne stared out the window.  
“What I was going to say is that I’m worried about being a king,” I said.  
Joanne nodded. “Being royalty is difficult-”   
I cut her off by holding up the book.  
Her eyes widened. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she apologized.  
I laughed. “It’s okay. I think we have different definitions of difficult though,” I replied.  
She nodded. “It’ll be okay. People might be transphobic, but Mark is well respected enough that, no matter who he marries into royalty will be just as respected.   
I smiled. “Thanks,” I replied.   
She nodded. “You have every right to worry, though. Mirardot is a scary place, even if I am getting used to it. I just really, really hope Mirardot can become accepting and caring, unlike the cruel place it is right now,” Joanne said.   
“I hope Mark and I can change that. Mirardot, from what I read, went from one of the most accepting places… to one of the least. Mark and I need to bring it back. And… we are going to,” I smiled in confidence and happiness.   
Joanne smiled. “Good. Mirardot needs it,” she yawned.  
I laughed. “Are you getting tired?” I asked her.  
“I guess so. Thanks for talking with me, though. I think I needed it, ” she said.  
“I think I did too. But I think we also both need sleep,” I replied.  
Joanne laughed. “Yeah,” she got up, and I followed suit, going to put the book back.  
We said goodnight to each other, and went back to our rooms. Sleep came easy this time. I fell asleep with a smile on my face. It only took a day, but I feel like I have a place in this world. I’m not just another servant anymore. I have friends, I have a boyfriend (we haven’t made it official verbally, but I think we have physically), and… I was finally going to make a change, whether the world is ready for it or not.


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> slightly shorter chapter, but it's very important and also has a wlw romance!! Enjoy :)

I actually got a decent amount of sleep, thanks to my late night talk with Roger. But now, it was 7:30 am, and we were all heading to the wall to meet up with Maureen. The boys were talking, but I wasn’t listening. All I could think about was Maureen. What she was like, what she looked like, what she would think of me, if she would help us… my lesbian brain was definitely taking over.  
Once we got to the wall, I realized just how tall it was. “Woah…” I stared at it.  
Mark nodded. “The only part of the island that’s unclaimed. Mirardot built it because they think if they can’t have it, no one can. But Mirardot has the maximum amount of land allowed by Alilaseth. So they built a - technically illegal - wall,” Mark explained.  
“Damn. Your ancestors were greedy,” Roger said.   
Mark sighed, nodding. He unslung the rope from his shoulder. “I hope everyone here can climb,” he remarked.  
I laughed. “Anything for Maureen,” I said, trying to hide my nervousness.  
Mark connected a metal hook he got from the blacksmith to the end of the rope, which he found in one of the cleaning closets. Roger and him probably used it for something else… but I don’t want to think about that.  
Mark threw the rope up the wall, and we began our climb. It was tiring, and took almost twenty minutes, but we made it. Scaling down the wall was easier. From there, it was waiting. It was almost 8 am, so Maureen should be here soon. I was nervous, but also excited. At first, I felt like I was getting my hopes up, but I know Maureen will be amazing regardless of anyone’s standards. Even mine.   
And then, Maureen was here. She was riding a white horse, her beautiful dark hair streaming behind her, looking like a goddess. I was lovestruck. Maureen was just… Gorgeous. Beautiful. Stunning. Graceful. Wow, I’m gay.   
She dismounted her horse, approaching us. “Mark… you’ve grown so much. And you have your own mini gang, I see,” Maureen said.  
Mark smiled. “This is Roger, he’s a servant and also my… did we make it official yet?” Mark turned to him.  
“I’d say so,” Roger shrugged, smiling.   
Mark grinned. “My boyfriend, Roger. And Joanne, princess of Voathiel and the biggest lesbian I’ve met,” he introduced me.  
“So that’s why Joanne was staring at me like that,” Maureen smirked at me.  
“Maybe…” I looked down, trying to hide my embarrassment.  
“Anyway, we need to explain our plans,” Mark said.  
Maureen nodded. “We can go to my camp. It isn’t that far, I just had other things to attend to. I’m… kind of the leader there,” she said, petting her horse.  
“Wait, camp? Last time I was here, it was just one cabin,” Mark commented as we started to walk.  
“You’d be surprised at the amount of runway kids in these woods. It’s sad, but that’s what I’m committed to now. Me and the older people started building more cabins for everyone. We’ve created a pretty big clearing now,” Maureen paused and sighed. “Almost every kid is queer, and a lot are from Mirardot,” she bit her lip, holding her horse’s rope tighter.  
Mark frowned, grabbing Roger’s hand. “That’s why I want to be king. This needs to stop,” he said angrily.  
Maureen nodded. “It really does,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m glad you get the crown next. I know I was supposed to, but I can barely lead this camp, let alone a kingdom. Mirardot needs someone determined, like you,” she smiled.  
Mark smiled. “Thank you. It also needs someone who isn’t straight, like Roger and I,” he grinned.  
Maureen laughed. “I’m assuming that’s part of the plan?” she asked.  
He nodded in response.

We walked in silence for a while longer, and then arrived at Maureen’s camp. It wasn’t much, but it was cozy looking. There were about fifteen tall cabins in the clearing, and a campfire in the middle of it, with some logs as seats. One of Aliliaseth’s bigger bodies was nearby, and I assumed that was their water source.   
Maureen went over to a person who looked like one of the co leaders, handing her horse’s rope to them. When she came back over to us, she gestured towards the fire. We went with her. I was lost in thought. Maureen was just as great as I imagined. But I had to focus. Mark was beginning to explain the plans.  
“...I guess Joanne should explain her side of the war, you were there for a lot of it,” I tuned into what Mark was telling Maureen.  
I paused. “Where do I start?” I sighed. “Voathiel is - was - small. Mirardot knew that. I… We couldn’t keep fighting. They…” I swallowed. “Mirardot. Mirardot burned my castle, my home, and killed my parents,” I clenched my fists. My anger was back. I’m still annoyed at myself. I should have done something. I… no. No point in thinking about that.   
Maureen’s mouth was open, her brow furrowed in anger. “I… I knew Mirardot was cruel, but that’s how the war ended? Just when I thought I couldn’t hate them more…” Maureen took a breath. “Continue,” she told us.   
Mark spoke next. “Our pare- the rulers of Mirardot, expect me to marry Joanne when we turn eighteen. I thought they were being nice in giving us a year, but now I know it’s just convenience,” he said.  
Maureen nodded. “This is just… cruel. I hate it. I hate it,” Maureen started muttering angrily in a language I didn’t understand.   
After a long moment of silence, Roger spoke up. He had been quiet, but I guess he didn’t have much to say until now. “I never had the power to think deeply about politics and… rights? I don’t know. But… the king wanted me to spy on Mark and Joanne. He knows something’s up. But I heard them talk about their plans, and wanted to help. That’s why I’m here. And because I’m in love, but that’s different,” Roger said, resting his head on Mark’s.  
Maureen nodded, chewing on her lip. “What is your plan again?” she asked.  
“Oh, we forgot to tell you, oops,” I remarked.  
“We’re killing them,” Mark smirked, tracing lines on Roger’s hand.  
Maureen blinked. I was also surprised, though it was because Mark was so confident about it. I guess meeting up with Maureen changed that.  
“You’re… just killing them?” she clarified.  
I nodded. “We’re fighting back,” I grinned.  
Maureen chuckled. “Good. I’m so down for that,” she said.   
We discussed plans for a while longer, as Maureen had more experience in the killing aspect of it.  
“Okay, let’s take a break. Mark, Roger, go explore camp. You should be able to find someone to talk to. Just don’t fuck anywhere, no one wants to see that,” Maureen told the boys.  
“We don’t have any condoms on us, don’t worry about that,” Roger winked.  
“Oh my god,” Mark shook his head, blushing. He pulled Roger in the opposite direction.  
I laughed, walking with Maureen.   
“I missed Mark. He’s grown so much as a person,” Maureen told me, looking down.  
I nodded. “I definitely don’t see him as a suitor, but he’s still a nice person. It’s weird, I made a vow to myself a few years ago. A vow to never befriend a person from Mirardot, but I guess that changed,” I admitted.  
Maureen shoved her hands in her pockets, a thoughtful look on her face. “I always tried to distance myself from Mirardot’s culture. Even as a kid I knew I was different. My outlet was learning languages, actually. I don’t speak Mirardot’s ancient language, but I’ve learned others,” she kicked at the ground. “It made me happy, I guess. I even know some Ancient Voathiel,” she smiled, glancing at me.  
I laughed a little, happy. Every place had a language a few generations ago, but everyone slowly switched to English. The languages aren’t extinct though, they exist in language classes and textbooks.  
We walked in peaceful silence for a few minutes. I liked it. It silenced the many bad thoughts I’ve been having. Finally, we arrived at the water. Maureen sat on the shoreline, and I joined her. She pulled her knees up to her chest, resting her head on them.  
“I’ve only known you for a little while, but you’ve taught me something, Joanne,” Maureen said, staring into the distance.  
I cocked my head, interested. “What?” I asked, curious.  
“You don’t always need to be strong. I… I’ve never let my weak side show. I’ve always had to be the strong, determined leader. Protecting Mark from our parents, being disowned when I was only sixteen, running a camp of misfit kids. Being their role model. I can’t be vulnerable, right? And yet… here you are. You act strong, you’re a fighter, but I see the vulnerability in you. And you aren’t trying to hide it, intentional or not. I… I want to be like that, I guess,” Maureen took a deep breath, then bit her lip.  
I blinked, not knowing how to respond just yet. Not only had Maureen just read me like an open book whilst barely knowing me, she admired me for it. I smiled slowly. “Thank you, honestly. That just… wow,” I fidgeted with my hands.  
Maureen laughed. “You’re welcome,” she responded, getting choked up.  
“Oh no, I’m sorry,” I said. She was crying.  
“No, it isn’t your fault. I just… fuck,” she laughed shakily.   
I reached over to hug her, and she laid her head on my shoulder, arms wrapping around me.  
After a moment, she pulled away. “I guess we can learn from each other,” I said.  
She nodded. “If I’m being honest, I never wanted a partner. I assumed they would get in the way instead of help… but I guess I can give it a try,” she looked at me.  
I laughed happily. “We don’t need to move as fast as Mark and Roger… who began dating within a day of meeting each other, but I want to try it,” I took one of my rings off my fingers. I only wore them for my mom… she knew the castle was burning, she grabbed her sentimental things and handed them to me, knowing I was probably the only one going to make it out alive- no, this is a happy moment.  
I picked up Maureen’s hand. “Here. It… was my mom’s. It’s a promise ring. I’ll be here for you, and that’s the promise,” I slipped it on her finger.  
Maureen smiled softly. “Thank you. I’ll be there to support you in any way you need. That’s my promise,” she replied, hugging me again.  
I nodded, grinning. This was the happiest I’d been in a long, long time. And it was fucking amazing.


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hello it's been a while but here's a chapter!! It's 4,300 words long and a lot happens so. enjoy

Mimi’s POV  
I ran away from home. I… there’s no real reason why. My parents are okay. I just… I don’t want to be a peasant girl. I need adventure. I don’t want to keep selling vegetables and being a third parent to my siblings. It’s boring. I can’t anymore. I feel bad for my family, but I needed to do it.  
I don’t really have a plan, but I wanted to talk to Angel. She usually had good advice. I was walking to her house now, with most of my belongings shoved into my backpack. I feel a little crazy, but I know this is right.   
When I got there, Angel knew something was up.  
“Mimi, why do you have your bag? What happened?” she asked.  
“I… I ran away,” I took a deep breath.  
Angel blinked. “What? Come inside,” she pulled me inside.  
“Did anything bad happen?” Angel asked as we walked upstairs.  
“No, I just need a change. I can’t sit by and live a boring life. I need adventure, action, just… something interesting,” I tried to explain.  
Angel nodded. “Alright, that’s fair. I just wanted to make sure. I… I know that not everyone is accepting,” she said, sitting on her bed.  
I sighed, knowing what she meant. “Yeah,” I sat next to Angel. “I don’t really know where to go, though. I was only thinking about the running away thing, I guess,” I said.  
“Hmmm…” Angel bit her lip, thinking. “Well, I know of one place, though I’ve only heard of it through rumours,” Angel replied, leaning on her pillows.   
“What is it?” I asked, intrigued.  
“Apparently there’s a group of runaways in the forest, behind Mirardot. They probably have lots of adventures,” Angel told me.  
“That actually sounds really cool,” I said, thinking about it.  
“I’ve been thinking about going recently, so maybe it’s a sign,” Angel said, pulling her knees to her chest. She frowned.  
After a moment of silence, I spoke. “You aren’t out to your family, are you?” I whispered. Angel never liked talking about it, but I knew her family wasn’t accepting.  
“They know I like to sew, but they don’t know that I do it for myself,” she took a deep breath.  
That explained why Angel never wore skirts or dresses when her family was around. “I’m sorry. I… you could have stayed with me,” I replied, not knowing what else to say.  
Angel shrugged. “It’s too late. The past is in the past. For now, I think we should leave,” she said.  
I nodded. Angel got up, going to pack. Using her wand, she managed to stuff half her room into her bag within a few minutes.   
“Ready to go?” she asked.  
“Yeah,” I smiled, getting up. All of this was pretty sudden, but I like it that way. I wasn’t a boring country girl anymore. I was a country girl on an adventure.

Joanne’s POV  
We had to go back to Mirardot, but after our visit to Maureen’s camp, I couldn’t stop smiling. She was amazing. I guess Mark and Roger weren’t the only ones to fall in love fast. I was a little sad that we had to leave, but I know it’s for the best. Mark’s parents were already suspicious, considering the fact that they wanted Roger to spy on us on the second day. We couldn’t let them catch on. Speaking of which, we need to figure out how we’re going to kill Mark’s parents. It needs to happen soon, whether we’re prepared or not. I don’t know if Maureen’s killed anyone or not, but she might know what she’s doing more than us. I guess it was something to discuss when we saw her next.   
I ran my hand along my dagger, strapped to my thigh. I haven’t had to use it yet, but I started carrying it when I was thirteen. My dad gave it to me… kind of fucked up, a dad giving his thirteen year old a knife, but that’s what happens in a war.   
“Joanne?” Mark’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. We had been walking in silence this entire time.  
“Yeah?” I said, moving my hand.  
“What are you thinking about? You look…”  
“Scary,” Roger finished his sentence.   
I laughed a little. “Sorry. I’m thinking about murder,” I said.  
“Of course you are,” Mark replied.  
“Well, we need to murder your parents somehow,” I shrugged.  
Mark paused, thinking. “Maybe we could just let them go quietly, like maybe poison their wine?”   
“We could… or we could behead them,” I grinned slyly.  
Mark sighed. “Yeah, but it isn’t that a little extra?” he asked.  
“They deserve it though,” I pointed out.  
“True, but… Roger, what do you think?” Mark turned to his boyfriend, who had been watching our argument silently.  
“Uh… well, Mark's the love of my life but I kind of like Joanne's idea better-” Roger said quickly.  
“Ha!” I exclaimed.  
“I promise I’ll have sex with you if you do it my way,” Mark tried to bribe Roger.  
Before he could respond, I spoke up. “You already do that though,” I said.  
Roger looked between us. “They’re both good ideas, and you two need to stop arguing about murder,” he said.  
I sighed. “Fine. I’ll ask Maureen later,” I replied.  
“Good,” Roger picked up Mark’s hand.  
We had finally arrived at the wall. Mark left the rope up, which was helpful. After more climbing, we were on our way back to the castle. Mark and Roger began talking about something I wasn’t interested in, so I was alone with my thoughts again.   
My first thought was… worry, I guess. So many things could go wrong, we’re murdering the most powerful people in the country. We have an advantage, no one is going to suspect a couple of kids, but there’s still so many things that could go wrong. Like I’ve said, they know something is up, why else would they send a spy, but… I don’t think they’re expecting murder. So hey, it can’t go that bad. Beheading them with their own guillotine would be fun, but I don’t think it’s realistic. Poisoning their wine seems like our easiest option. Mark was right. Fuck. I sighed. Well, we’re at the castle now, so no more time to think about murder.  
“Oh fuck, I need to report back to the king and queen soon,” Roger said, dropping Mark’s hand.  
“Ew,” I replied. Can’t wait to murder them.  
“What’re you going to tell them?” Mark asked as we went inside.   
Roger shrugged. “I can’t say I don’t know anything, he might behead me. So I’ll need to make something up,” he responded.  
Mark blinked. “Wait, behead you?” he clarified.  
“I’m only a servant to him. He’s already killed three of the other servants out of boredom. Granted, they were adults, but it doesn’t matter. We aren’t humans to him,” Roger explained sadly.  
Something changed in Mark’s eyes. He seemed to really understand just how bad his parents are. Mark looked down, almost shaking in anger. He took a deep breath. “I… no more being blinded by family. They aren’t my family. You guys are,” Mark shook his head, then looked at me. “How soon are we murdering them?” he asked.  
I smiled. “That’s the spirit. We will as soon as possible. Poisoning their wine seems like the easiest option, but I want to talk to Maureen first. She probably has more experience than us,” I said.  
“Good,” He said, nodding.   
We finally got to Mark’s room, which felt the safest. There weren’t guards on this floor, but I still think it’s better to not talk about our plans a lot out there.  
“Do you guys have any idea what I should tell them?” Roger asked.  
“Say ‘Mark and Joanne are getting closer, and I should have more information in a few days. Joanne doesn’t fully trust me yet, but I’m getting there,’” I said what sounded good to me. Vague, but painting Roger in a good light.  
Roger nodded. “Okay, sounds good. I’ll… I’ll be right back,” he took a breath, standing up.   
Mark got up with him. He kissed him gently. “Be safe,” Mark told his boyfriend, squeezing his hands gently.   
Roger smiled, pressing his forehead against Mark’s. “Thanks. I love you,” Roger said.  
Mark pressed a kiss to his forehead, letting go. “I love you too,” they broke apart, Mark watching Roger leave. His gaze lingered on the door.  
“Are you worried?” I asked.   
Mark nodded, walking back to his bed. “It hasn’t been that long, but I love Roger. I can’t lose him,” he bit his lip.  
“Even if they get mad, they won’t… murder him right away. He’s their only source of information. And we’ll kill them before they have a chance too, okay?” I tried to comfort him.  
Mark nodded. “Thanks. And I think you’re letting your walls down a little more. It’s nice,” he smiled a little.   
I smiled. “I guess I am. You guys feel like home, it’s… I feel like I have a family again,” I admitted. There was no bringing my parents back, but I had people in my life again.  
“I’m glad. We’re going to change the world. We need to. My… the king and queen of Mirardot’s reign of terror is going to end,” Mark said confidently.  
I grinned. “Fuck yeah,” I said.  
Roger’s POV  
My hands shake as I walk to what feels like my death. It’ll probably be fine, I know that, but the rulers of Mirardot are dangerous people. One slip up, and I could be dead. I took a deep breath, thinking of Mark. I fell hard for him, and he’s all I can think about. I don’t want to die, he’s going through enough. And I need him. I can’t lose him. A tear rolled down my cheek. I love him. I’m going to do this for him. I’m going to live. I may be a fucking coward sometimes, but I’ll be strong for Mark. I need to be. I closed my eyes, trying to remember what Joanne told me.  
“Mark and Joanne are getting closer, and I should have more information in a few days. Joanne doesn’t fully trust me yet, but I’m getting there,” I whispered to myself. I don’t want to sound like a robot saying it, but I don’t want to sound like I’m lying, even if I am.   
I wiped the tear from my cheek, standing at the doorway of the throne room. It’s time. I knocked, biting my lip.   
“Enter,” came the king’s booming voice.  
I pushed the door open, taking a breath. It’ll be okay…  
“What do you have to report, lowlife?” The queen sneered at me.  
I paused for a second, then spoke. “Mark and Joanne are getting closer, and I should have more information in a few days. Joanne doesn’t fully trust me yet, but I’m getting there,” I said, looking her in the eyes.  
The king scoffed. “You need to work harder, you filthy servant. I want more information by tomorrow, or I’ll have your head. Now get out, I don’t want to look at you anymore,” he told me, disgust in his voice.  
I turned around and nearly ran out of there, scared for my life. I just want to be with Mark. I began running to his room.   
When I finally got to Mark’s room, I was panting. Apparently running down six flights of stairs wasn’t a good idea. I pushed open his door, and as soon as Mark saw me, he got up and ran to me. He pulled me into his arms, and I put my head on his. I wanted to put my head on his chest, but he was too short for that.   
“What happened?” Mark whispered, sounding scared. I guess I looked as scared as I felt.   
“I…” I tried to speak, but I was too out of breath.   
Mark pulled me over to his bed. Joanne moved over, letting me collapse. My hands were shaking again, it felt like my mind was in a million places… I know what they said wasn’t that bad, but all I could think about were the death threats. Mark pulled me into his lap, and I was able to curl up in his arms. I laid my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. I closed my eyes, just listening to the gentle thuds. I just want to be here forever. Mark stroked my hair gently, letting me calm down.   
After a few minutes, Mark spoke. “Can you tell us what happened?” He pushed my chin up gently.  
I sighed. “They… they threatened to kill me if I don’t have more information by tomorrow. They called me a lowlife and a filthy servant, told me to work harder, I think he was mad that I looked her in the eyes…” all the words came tumbling out. They were all seared into my brain.   
“I’ll kill them…” Joanne said her first words in the conversation. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw she had her dagger out.   
Mark glanced at her, fear in his eyes. “Joanne’s right though, we need to kill them soon. It’s not ideal, but fuck,” Mark said.  
I nodded. “We… we could tonight. I know it would be ideal to have Maureen and her friends here as a backup plan, but…” I trailed off, wanting to hear their opinions.  
“I think we need to,” Mark responded.   
Joanne nodded. “Dinner’s in a few hours. We could poison their wine. It isn’t dramatic or anything, but practical seems to be the way to go,” she said.  
I nodded. “It might be better to get edible poison though. Bleach may taste weird,” I pointed out.  
Joanne thought for a moment. “Do you think we have time to go see Maureen again? She may have more information on poisons,” she said.  
“If we take the horses we’d have time,” Mark replied.  
“Oh, why didn’t I think of that in the first place? I know the stable boy,” I replied. He’s also my ex boyfriend, but that’s a story for another time.  
“This isn’t fair, I want to know everyone in the castle like you,” Mark pouted.  
I laughed. “Everyone knows of you, prince boy, so you’re halfway there,” I said.  
Mark shook his head at my nickname. “You’re lucky I love you,” he told me, tracing lines on my hand.  
“Can you two stop being gay so we can get on with the murder?” Joanne interrupted our moment. She’d put her dagger away, which was nice.  
“Are you feeling better now?” Mark looked at me.   
I nodded. “Let’s get on with it. The sooner death happens, the better,” I began getting out of Mark’s lap.  
Joanne sighed, getting up. “I hate how desensitized we are to murder,” she looked down.  
Mark bit his lip, not saying anything. He looked guilty. I grabbed his hand, helping him up.  
“It’ll be okay soon. Soon, we’ll all be free from this,” I tried to help.  
Joanne nodded. “I really hope so,” she replied.  
We began walking to the stables. It took a while. Everything in Mirardot was big, from the castle, to the castle grounds, to the rest of the kingdom. Well, almost everything. I know from personal experience that the prince is not big.  
“Oh yeah, the stable boy is my ex boyfriend, Ailwin. I don’t have feelings anymore, and we’re still friends, but… yeah, we dated,” I mentioned that, just in case it bothered Mark.  
“I’m just surprised that there’s more than three queer people in this castle,” Mark shrugged when I glanced at him.  
I laughed. “I think there’s about fifteen of us, actually,” I thought about it.  
“Wait, really?” Mark asked.   
I nodded. “We have an unofficial support group meeting every Friday,” I said.  
Mark paused, then turned to Joanne. “Do you know how many people are- were… queer in Voathiel?” Mark asked.  
“I can’t count on everyone being alive, but there were around eight or nine of us,” Joanne said.  
“...what happened to the citizens after the war?” I asked quietly.  
Joanne paused for a long moment. “The fire started in the castle, so I think most of them were able to flee before it spread, but everyone in the castle died for sure. They barricaded the doors after getting me out. And a lot of people died in the war too,” Joanne swallowed, looking at the ground.  
I couldn’t imagine all the guilt Mark and Joanne were carrying for their respective reasons. War is a horrible, horrible thing.  
We walked in silence for a while, lost in our own thoughts. Eventually, we were almost at the stables.   
“Wait, who broke up with who?” Mark glanced at me.  
“I broke up with Ailwin. I…” I sighed. “He was great at the beginning of the relationship, but he changed. It got really one sided. I would give him everything, but he just wanted more. I was going to him, I was doing things for him, I would do what he wanted… and got nothing in return. Only him asking for more,” I shrugged. “Ailwin’s charming, so I stayed for a lot longer than I should’ve. Be careful,” I told both of them.   
Mark shook his head. “People like that suck,” he said.  
“I don’t think Ailwin’s a bad person, he’s just… inexperienced? It was both our first relationship, and I think that’s what every poor person does. Charming your way through life is just easier, I guess,” I sighed.  
“Seeing the perspective of others is eye-opening,” Joanne spoke up.  
Mark nodded. “Everything was just… handed to me in life. I never had to work for it. That was normal for me, but it isn’t for you,” Mark looked at me. “I hate that. We’re all human, why can't it be equal?” Mark looked at the ground.  
“Hey, we’re going to change that,” I told him. “We all are,” I looked at Joanne, who nodded.  
“I plan on rebuilding Voathiel with Maureen, and you two are going to change Mirardot. It’s going to be good,” Joanne added.  
Mark nodded, taking a deep breath. I squeezed his hand.   
“We need to get going. It’s getting late,” Joanne said. We’d arrived at the stables.  
I let go of Mark’s hand, going to look for Ailwin. He spent most of his time here, only going inside at night. Sometimes. He’s fallen asleep with the horses before. Yeah, Ailwin takes outdoorsy person to another level. He also never grew out of his horse phase.  
I poked my head into the barn. “Ailwin?” I called out.  
I saw his head come up from behind a horse. “Roger! Hi,” he grinned.  
I laughed. “Hi. Can we use some of the horses?” I asked.   
“Who’s we?” He asked.  
“Long story, but I have a boyfriend now, and me, him, and our friend are on a mission. We only need them for a few hours,” I said, walking further inside.  
Ailwin nodded. “That’s fine. When did you start dating your boyfriend?” He asked me.   
“A few days ago, actually,” I said, walking over to one of the horses. I ended up bonding with one when I was with Ailwin, and the horse still seemed to like me.  
“Hi Nalagit,” I whispered, petting the horse gently. Ailwin can be a snake sometimes, but he’s good at naming horses.  
Mark’s POV  
After a few minutes, I went to find Roger. I know he wouldn’t leave me for Ailwin, but I just want to be safe. And Roger said himself to be cautious, so might as well. I went into the barn, Joanne trailing along with me.  
“...and I’ve- oh you’re - dating the fucking prince!?” Ailwin said. He and Roger were having a conversation that I seemed to have interrupted.  
Roger laughed. “Should I have mentioned that?” he came over to me.   
“You always seem to get yourself in crazy situations, Davis,” Ailwin shook his head.  
Roger grinned. “Life’s too short to be boring,” he said.   
I smiled, looking at my boyfriend. God, I was in love.  
Ailwin looked between Joanne and I. “Hmmm… I have some horses you two could ride,” he said, going deeper into the stable.   
Roger went back over to the horse he was with earlier. “I didn’t realize how much I've missed being out here,” he sighed.   
“It is a nice change of scenery,” I agreed.  
“I bet you and Ailwin had sex in here,” Joanne smirked.  
Roger’s face turned red.  
“Oh my god, you did,” Joanne laughed.  
“Should I be preparing myself for anything or-” I added.  
“Both of you shut up,” Roger mumbled.  
Ailwin returned then, two horses trotting behind him. “This is Tormáil, and this is Luas. they’re both good with beginners, since I’m not sure about you two’s horse riding skills,” he said.   
“Alright, we’ll return them in a few hours. Thanks Ailwin!” Roger said.  
They said their goodbyes, and we began riding towards the wall. We were going to have to leave the horses behind the wall and travel the rest on foot, but it was still faster than walking the whole way.  
All I can think about is the fact that my parents are probably going to be dead soon, and it’ll be partly my fault. It sounds so awful… but that’s because they’re awful people. I’ve always had different viewpoints than them, but the amount of action I’ve taken in the past few days has been wild. I feel sad, happy, scared, and excited all at once.   
When we got to the wall, there was a note stuck to it. I went to grab it.

Mark, Joanne, and Roger  
I suppose now is the right time to tell you about the gate a few of the runaways built a year ago. It’s about a kilometer to the east, hidden behind some trees.   
Maureen

I read the note aloud to the others.  
“That’s really helpful. No more climbing,” Roger said.  
“Do you think it’s big enough to take the horses through?” Joanne asked.  
I shrugged. “I guess we’ll see,” I got back on my horse.  
We rode east against the wall, arriving at the gate shortly. It was pretty well-concealed if you weren’t looking for it. Maureen seemed to think of everything.  
“Oh yeah, it’s big enough,” Joanne pulled one of the tree branches back, revealing the rest of the gate. It was a huge, golden, two-door gate.  
“I know someone who isn’t big enough,” Roger giggled.  
Joanne sighed heavily as I felt my face get red.  
“Not the time for dick jokes,” she climbed back onto her horse.  
“It’s always the time for dick jokes,” Roger smirked.   
We rode our horses over to Maureen’s camp. The gate saved time, which I was grateful for. One fuck up and we could all be killed…   
When Maureen saw us, she seemed to know something was up.   
“Why are you three here again?” she asked as we dismounted our horses.  
“Long story, but we have to kill them tonight,” Joanne said.  
“If either of them threatened to hurt any of you, I swear…” Maureen sounded angry.  
“They threatened to kill Roger by tomorrow if he didn’t have more information,” I grabbed my boyfriend’s hand.  
Maureen’s hand went to the sword sheathed on her back. “I swear I’ll kill them myself-” Joanne grabbed Maureen’s hand, interrupting her.   
“My reaction was the same, but we need to kill them subtly,” Joanne told her.  
Maureen took a breath, taking her hand off her sword. “Okay, that’s fair. Are you going to poison their food?” she asked.  
“We were thinking of poisoning their wine, but their food might be easier,” Roger replied.  
Maureen nodded. “The only way you’d be able to poison their wine is with a cleaning product or something, and they’d taste it. With food, there’s a berry that tastes sweet, but is really poisonous. It only takes three to kill a kid, and ten to twenty to kill an adult,” Maureen explained.   
She gestured for us to follow her. She walked towards the back of her camp, leading us to a garden.   
“Oh, you should wear gloves when handling these. They can give you a rash,” Maureen opened a door to a shed.  
“What are the berries called?” I asked.  
“Belladonna, or deadly nightshade,” Maureen called from in the shed.  
“Pretty and dangerous, like you,” Joanne added.  
Maureen laughed, walking out. “It’s time for murder, not love,” she replied, though smiling.  
“I’m going to trust Joanne with the berries,” Maureen said, handing Joanne a pair of gloves. She already had a pair of her own on.   
“Someone’s biased,” I joked.  
“I’m very bi, thank you,” Maureen walked over to the back of the garden.   
She scooped up some dark berries into a small satchel.  
“Do you just… have a murder garden?” Roger asked.  
“Most of it is actually edible, but you never know when you’ll need murder berries,” she shrugged, handing the satchel to Joanne.  
We walked back over to our horses. Joanne tied the satchel to the waist of her dress.  
“Good luck. I’ve been joking a lot, but this is something serious you three are doing. You need to be very careful,” she said, then looked at Joanne.  
Maureen grabbed her hands, looking into her eyes. “Please be safe. I can’t lose you,” Maureen said.   
Joanne pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “I will,” Joanne told her.  
We got back on our horses and began riding back to the castle. It felt like everything was happening so fast. It had too, but… in a few hours both my parents would be dead, and I’ll be king. It’s going to be okay, though. I’m not alone, I have Roger and Joanne. It’s going to be okay. It had to be.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Over 5k words!! Sorry it took so long, school is a pain. Uhhhh no spoilers but a Big Event happens near the end of this. Enjoy :)

Chapter 6  
Angel’s POV  
Mimi and I managed to find a carriage to take us to Mirardot, which was a lot faster than walking. We had to walk the rest of the way to get to the border of Mirardot, though. It took us the entire day, but it was so worth it. I wasn’t with my family anymore, and Mimi had her adventure. And hey, maybe there would be some cute boys at camp.   
After walking to the edge of Mirardot, we were faced with a wall.  
Mimi sighed. “Of course Mirardot would put a giant wall around their borders,” she said.  
I took my wand out, muttering a spell to create a way over the wall. A ladder appeared for us to use.   
“Ooh! Good thinking,” Mimi remarked.  
I laughed. “Thanks,”   
We went up the ladder, dropping down into a forest.   
“What else do you know about the runaway group?” Mimi asked as we walked.  
“My school friend told me all she knew, and then she disappeared a day later, so we’ll probably find her there. She told me that they apparently built a camp in this forest, and that there’s a lot of people, and that they have a leader,” I said. I’m not sure where my friend, Celestria, got her information from, but like I said, she left a day later. I hope I can find her again.   
Mimi nodded. “I hope the leader’s nice!” she said.  
“If they lead a group of runaways then I’m sure they are,” I smiled.  
We walked for a while, talking about nothing in particular. Eventually, we reached the camp. It was surprisingly big, with long rows of log cabins and a little campfire area. And there were a lot of people, moving around and talking and laughing. Everyone looked so happy. It seemed like a really nice place.  
“Oh, are you two lost?” someone said, stopping in front of us.  
“Um, we’re kinda new,” Mimi answered hesitantly.  
“Oh! You can come with me, and I’ll find Maureen. She’s our leader, and she can register you,” the person told us.  
“Alright, thanks!” Mimi smiled.  
We followed them, walking through the camp. It was built in what I thought was a clearing, but they definitely cut down some trees. The camp went on for miles. It was beautiful, honestly. They really built an entire community out here.   
“My name’s Clarice, by the way. I help Maureen with more of the busy work,” Clarice introduced herself.  
“I’m Mimi, and that’s Angel,” Mimi introduced us.   
I waved. “Sorry, I’m just distracted by how cool it is here,” I smiled.  
“It really is. I love it here. Maureen and I… well, I don’t know where you two are from, but I assume if you’re here you know what Mirardot’s like. I’ve been Maureen’s friend for as long as I can remember, and when we grew older, we both knew that Mirardot was not a community, and still isn’t. When Maureen escaped, she came to me. We’d been planning this for years. Creating a community, a safe space, for anyone who needed it. And now look at it, nearly a thousand people live here. I love it,” she smiled. “And there’s Maureen. Sorry for rambling so much,” she grinned sheepishly.  
I laughed. “It’s okay. That’s a lovely story,” I said honestly.  
“Oh, Clarice! New people?” Maureen asked.   
Clarice nodded. “Angel and Mimi,” she introduced us.  
Maureen nodded. “Follow me, you two. I need to get my clipboard.” she began leading us, leaving Clarice to whatever she was doing before.  
One of the coolest things was seeing how much Maureen had grown. I never knew her personally, of course, but since Mirardot is Mirardot, her escape was all over the news. “Mirardot prince escapes.” I was only fourteen, but I knew I wouldn’t be safe where I was. Galawia itself is pretty accepting, but I’m actually part Mirardot, my mom being from there. She’s the reason I had to escape. And, well, I’m really fucking glad I did.  
“You look happy,” Mimi smiled, glancing at me.  
I laughed a little. “I am,” I grinned.  
We then reached a building that was slightly smaller than the cabins, but still made out of wood.  
“This is my office, by the way. If you have any problems, I’ll usually be in here,” Maureen opened the door, leading us inside.   
She asked us a few simple questions, writing our answers down.  
“Okay, I’m putting you two in the same cabin for now, but nothing really needs to be official. I learned my lesson after half the camp fell in love. So, if you’re moving around, just tell me so I can keep track of everyone,” Maureen said afterwards, handing us each a key.  
“Alright, thank you so much!” Mimi smiled.  
“You’re welcome. I’m always happy to welcome new people here,” she replied, smiling a little.  
We left her office, going to find our cabin.  
“I’m so excited!! It’s going to be so fun here,” Mimi said.  
“Same! I’m sure a lot will happen here,” I responded.  
Mimi nodded. “We might even find love,” she smirked.  
I laughed. “We’ll see,” I said.  
“Oh my god, look at the garden!” Mimi got distracted a few minutes later, running over to the huge garden. She’s a farm girl through and through.  
I trailed behind her, seeing another person tending to the garden.  
“Hi! Are you also from Rhelilith?” they asked Mimi.  
She nodded. “I guess we’re all drawn to the garden,” Mimi smiled.  
They laughed. “Yep. There’s not a lot of Rhelilians here, but almost all of us look after the garden,” they said.  
“Well, I guess we’re best fit to do so,” Mimi replied.  
“Hey Mimi, do you mind if I go explore some more?” I asked at the lull in conversation.  
“Oh no! Go ahead. I’ll stay here,” Mimi smiled.  
“Alright. Have fun,” I waved as I went to leave.  
“You too!” Mimi said, then turned back to her new friend.  
I’m happy for Mimi, but I don’t garden. She has her hobbies, I have mine. Though it may be more difficult to find another tailor here. Lost in thought, I wandered aimlessly through the camp. Not realizing where I was going, I accidentally ran into someone, sending us both to the ground.  
“Oh my god, I’m sorry!” I apologized, blushing when I saw how handsome he was.  
“It’s okay, that was my fault,” he stood up, offering a hand to me.  
“No, it was my fault,” I replied, taking his hand.  
He laughed. “Sure. Are you new here? You looked lost,” he asked.  
“Yeah, kind of,” I tucked a stray hair behind my ear. Was I already falling in love? Fuck. I didn’t think it’d be so soon.  
“Well, I’ve been here for… almost three years now. Want me to show you around?” he offered.   
“Yeah, I’d like that,” I said.  
“Me too,” he smiled. “Follow me,” he started walking.  
I followed, walking next to him. “I’m Angel, by the way,” I introduced myself.  
“My friends call me Collins,” he replied.   
I nodded. “Why are you here, Collins?” I asked.  
“The war. I’m… I’m from Eloiri. I never liked a lot of the laws, but when the war started, I couldn’t stand it anymore. Power is such a stupid thing to fight about, especially when Galawia is such a peaceful place. They weren’t doing anything, why did Eloiri need to? So I ran away. A few of my friends already had for other reasons, and they mentioned this camp, so I followed. The war is over now, but I’m happier here. It’s freeing, not having any rules or a kingdom to follow. Are… you here for the same reasons?” Collins gestured at my wand, tucked into my belt.  
“Not really. I… I’m from Galawia, but technically I’m only half Galawian. My mom is from Mirardot, and my parents kind of suck. Doesn’t help that I’m genderfluid. I escaped with my friend. She’s actually from Rhelilith, but wanted an adventure, so she tagged along. I think we’ll both be happier here,” I smiled, glancing at him nervously.  
“I think you will, too. I love it here,” he replied.   
I laughed, then looked around. We had walked past the main part of the camp, near the outskirts, where trees were still planted.   
“Where are we?” I asked.  
“I know it looks like nothing right now, but just wait,” he said.  
I continued walking with him, choosing to trust Collins.  
We walked in a peaceful silence for a few minutes, before arriving at Collins’ mystery destination.  
“A… treehouse? Who built this?” I looked up the very tall tree, seeing a slightly misshapen treehouse.  
“Me, and a few others at the camp. There were a ton of wood scraps from building cabins that were too big to be firewood, so we used them to make this. No one’s here now though, so we have the place to ourselves,” he grinned, stepping onto the first rung of the ladder. He nodded his head, gesturing for me to follow.  
I listened, climbing the long ladder. Seriously, they couldn’t have chosen a longer tree.   
“A treehouse is not what I was expecting to be in today, but I can’t say I’m disappointed,” I looked around once we were inside. It was big, of course, but actually had an entire living set up. There was a bed, a table and chairs, an icebox, and tons of books scattered amongst the floor. It was actually a very cozy place.  
“It’s actually really nice in here,” I commented.  
Collins nodded. “It’s a great place to just… be alone, I guess. An escape from the escape camp,” he joked.  
I laughed. “Yeah. I mean, this place is really secluded, even for a camp in the middle of the woods,” I said.  
Collins nodded. “But wait, there’s more,” he said, smiling.  
I looked at him curiously.  
He led me to the back wall, and I noticed a door I didn’t see earlier. It was made of the same wood as the walls, concealing it well. Collins opened the door, which revealed a balcony, which had two chairs on it.  
“Woah. This treehouse has everything,” I remarked in awe.  
Collins smiled. “This is one of my favourite places here. I live here more than my cabin. It’s just… peaceful, I guess,” he said, sitting in one of the chairs.  
I nodded, sitting in the other one.  
After that, Collins and I continued talking. Mimi briefly crossed my mind when we had been talking for a while, but she had her own friend. It would be alright.  
I didn’t realize just how long it had been until the sun began to set. “Woah… Mimi and I got here in the early afternoon,” I said.  
“I guess we lost track of time,” Collins looked down, a happy grin on his face.  
“Yeah… You’re just that fun to talk too, I guess,” I couldn’t help but smile, my heart fluttering.  
“So are you,” he laughed a little. “Oh yeah, this is part of the reason I led you here,” he pointed at the sky.  
I gasped. The sun had really begun to set, and was on full display. The treehouse faced the ocean, and there was nothing blocking the sky.   
After a long moment, I spoke. “It’s beautiful,” I smiled.  
“You know who else is beautiful?” Collins asked.  
I turned to him, unable to hide my grin.  
He took my hand, pulling me up gently. He wrapped his arms around my neck, and I wrapped mine around his waist. Grinning, I looked into his eyes. He kissed me gently, in front of the fading sky.

Roger’s POV  
We were almost at the castle, and we planned to take the berries down to my mom. She would be in favour of killing the king and queen, I’m assuming. We haven’t really told her any of our plans yet… actually, she hasn’t met Mark and Joanne at all yet. Oops. I’m… not good at remembering to do things.   
As we rode our horses back to the stable, I brought that up. “So, my mom doesn’t really know any of our plans yet, and of course you two haven’t met her. Well, she knows of you two, especially Mark… but yeah, she’ll like you both. And she’ll definitely agree with the murder, so that won’t be an issue either,” I said.  
“Did you just… tell her everything about our relationship?” Mark asked, slowing his horse down.  
“Well, not everything. I left out the part where we fuc-”  
“You can stop talking now, I don’t want to hear it,” I was interrupted by Joanne.  
I laughed, stopping my horse as well. We had arrived at the stables. Ailwin was there to greet us. I… I’m still unsure how I feel about him. I know I don’t have romantic feelings anymore, but I think he’s grown since our relationship. He seems nicer. Though that could be because he’s being watched by a prince who happens to be my boyfriend. I’m… still trying to figure out how that happened. I’m dating the fucking prince of Mirardot. I’m gonna be king in a few days- how has this become my life?  
Shortly after we got off our horses, Ailwin came out to greet us.  
“Did the horses treat you well?” he asked, stroking Tormáil.  
“Yeah, and we got the first part of our mission today done a lot quicker, so thanks for that,” I replied, trying to be friendly.  
Ailwin nodded. “Well, if you need any more help, you can always ask me,” he said. I felt like he was really only addressing me, but I was probably just being paranoid.  
“Alright, thanks again,” I smiled.  
“You’re welcome,” Ailwin said.  
We started walking back to the castle. I was nervous, but really excited. Killing the king and queen was going to be so satisfying. It can’t be easy for Mark. They are his parents, after all.  
“Hey, are you doing okay?” I asked Mark, taking his hand gently.  
“I… I think so,” he sighed. “I don’t know, honestly. I’ve never liked my parents, I’ve always felt detached from them, but it was all always silent defiance until a few days ago. This is the first time I’ve spoken against them, and the first time I'm physically doing anything about it. The jump from silent defiance to murder just… came really suddenly,” Mark expained.  
I nodded. “Don’t worry. Soon, it’ll be all over. You’ll be the king and we can undo all of your parents actions,” I tried to reassure him.  
“Oh shit, my parents probably did a lot to your family and friends, haven’t they?” Mark had a moment of realization.  
“Yeah… all the servants who are older kids and parents are overworked, and underpaid. It’s not uncommon for us to die of exhaustion, malnutrition, starvation… you get the point,” I shrugged, thinking of my dad.  
Mark looked at the ground. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he sounded upset.  
“It isn’t your fault. And we’re gonna change the laws, okay?” I squeezed his hand softly.  
He nodded, raising his head slowly.  
I looked over at Joanne, who had been mostly silent this whole time.  
“I’m assuming you’re ready, Joanne,” I said.  
She nodded. “I’m so ready to kill these murderous bastards. I’m about to stab them myself,” Joanne said angrily. Her hand seems to be on her dagger again.  
Mark smiled a little. “I’m so grateful for you both,” he said.  
I grinned. “I’m grateful for you and I also love you,” I replied.  
“I’m glad I have you two as friends, even if you fuck loudly. Oh, and I’m glad I can avenge my kingdom and family,” Joanne said.  
“Hey, it isn’t my fault Mark’s a whiny bottom,” I grinned cheekily.  
“Oh my god, forget I said anything,” Joanne shook her head.  
“Roger, I love you, but why,” Mark said, his face bright red.  
I giggled, proud of myself. We had entered the castle by now, walking down to the first floor where all of the servants were located. It seems the castle floors were built by levels of importance. Only thing lower than us was the dungeon and… execution room, in the basement.   
“Wow, it’s crowded down here,” Mark mumbled when we got downstairs. “I’m fixing that when I’m king. There’s plenty of space in this castle,” he shook his head.  
I smiled. “Good,” I replied, leading the two to my mom and I’s room.  
“I just… how can Mirardot be so cruel?” Joanne looked around at the crowded place. Half of our space is the kitchen, and the other half is a bedroom and bathroom for each family. It wasn’t that crowded with just my mom and I, but I can’t imagine what it’s like for the families who have five kids.  
“That’s why we’re murdering my parents, change needs to happen,” Mark said.  
“Yeah, it really does,” Joanne sighed angrily.   
When we got to the end of the hallway, I opened the door to my room. I didn’t see my mom in the kitchen, but she was in our room.  
“Roger! Did you finally bring your boyfriend over?” she said when she heard the door open.  
“How much did you tell your mom, Roger?” Mark laughed nervously.  
“I told her… almost everything,” I said.  
“I hope you used a condom,” my mom grinned.  
“God, why does everyone need to talk about sex?” Joanne said, her face in her hands.  
My mom laughed. “All jokes aside, it’s good to meet you both. I’m Sybil, and I of course already know who you two are,” she smiled.  
“Angry lesbian and whiny bottom prince,” I giggled.  
“Enough about that,” Mark’s face was red again.  
“Can we just get to the murder already?” Joanne untied the satchel from her dress.  
“Oh, that’s your plan?” My mom sounded surprised.  
“Yeah. You’re okay with that, right?” Joanne asked.  
“Definitely. They deserve it,” she smiled.  
“Good,” Joanne grinned.  
“I think the others already started, but I can help make a salad for an appetizer. I’m assuming you have belladonna, right?” my mom glanced at Joanne, who nodded.  
“Yeah, I can make that into a salad. I’ll colour coordinate the bowls so you two don’t eat the poisoned ones, and to get past the tasters,” she continued explaining, already walking to the kitchen. We followed behind quickly.   
“Wow, your mom is so cool,” Mark told me, holding my hand again.  
I just smiled, grateful. Life has been hard for me, but my mom is always there. I love her.  
“Roger, go prepare the other ingredients, and take Mark with you. He needs to learn. Joanne, stay with me. I’m going to teach you how to prepare belladonna safely,” my mom instructed us.  
I nodded, heading over to the fridge.   
“Lettuce is kept in the fridge?” Mark asked.  
“Oh my god,” I said, getting the lettuce out. I then remembered it’s supposed to be a sweet salad, so I got strawberries out too.   
“All fruits are??” Mark sounded even more confused.  
“First off, lettuce is a vegetable. Second off, yes,” I told my oblivious boyfriend, taking the produce to a counter.  
Mark blinked, following behind me. He watched me chop them up with what I think was fascination.  
After I finished that, I brought them to my mom and Joanne, who had the belladonna ready.   
“Okay, now we just need feta cheese and pecans. Joanne, you can go join them,” my mom said, taking the produce I chopped.   
We all went to a different part of the kitchen, with me leading the group. I guess I was the only one who knew my way around.  
“People are staring at us,” Joanne remarked, looking around.  
“It’s either you scaring them, or Mark being the prince of this kingdom,” I replied, stopping at a cupboard.  
“I feel kinda guilty. I don’t belong down here, and I kinda feel like I caused this,” Mark sighed, running a hand through his hair.  
“It isn’t your fault. It’s this kingdom's systemic classism,” I said, climbing onto the counter. Why do the bowls need to be on the top shelf?  
“Roger, please be careful,” Joanne told me.  
“Not all of us are tall, okay?” I replied, grabbing two blue bowls.   
“Here, take these,” I handed them to Joanne, then reached for the purple bowls. It would be better to have more contrasting colours, but then the king and queen might be suspicious. We can't risk anything.   
I pulled down two of those and handed them to Mark, then got down carefully. We went back over to my mom.   
“This is really happening, isn’t it?” Mark whispered, setting the bowls down.  
I sighed. “It has to,” I wrapped my arms around him. Mark rested on my shoulder.   
“We’re gonna be alright,” I told him after a minute, kissing his head gently.  
Mark nodded. “Thank you,” he lifted up his head to kiss me.  
“So I know you two are having a moment, but we have some people to murder,” Joanne interrupted us.   
Mark pulled away, glancing at Joanne with an annoyed look on his face.  
“Sorry,” Joanne held her hands up in defense.  
“Well, I’ve got the salads prepared, so unless you two want to help, you should go get ready,” my mom said.  
“I wish we could stay and help, but dinner’s gonna start soon,” Mark frowned, glancing at the clock on the wall.  
“My mom and I can finish up dinner, you two can go,” I said, then hugged Mark again.  
“I’m gonna come back for you as soon as they’re dead, okay?” I put my hands on his shoulders.  
Mark nodded. “Okay. I think… I think Joanne and I are gonna have to act like we’re dating,” he said.  
“Ew. But I think you’re right,” Joanne added.  
“That’s fair… boyfriend stealer,” I smirked.  
“I’m fucking gay!” Joanne exclaimed.  
I laughed. “Okay, but seriously, that’s fine. Clearly nothing is gonna happen between you,” I said.  
Mark nodded. “Well, let’s get this over with,” he sighed.   
I nodded, kissing him again.  
“Good luck you two!” my mom said to Mark and Joanne.  
“Thank you, it was nice meeting you,” Mark smiled at her.  
After we all said our goodbyes, it really felt like everything was happening at once. Dinner was in less than an hour, and the other servants already finished every other course except for dessert. The king and queen were gonna be dead very, very soon.  
Joanne’s POV  
After leaving the kitchen, Mark and I had to get dressed for the dinner that I was dreading. The murder was going to be fun, but also very stressful. So many things could go wrong. And not only that, but I had to pretend to be dating Mark, which is just gross. I’m not attracted to men, let alone him. He’s just my friend, and this felt very awkward. And I have very little dating experience in the first place. I can barely do it for real, let alone fake it.   
I sighed, pushing open my door. Time to take off a dress that I hate and put one on that I hate even more. Fuck, I’m so ready to get out of this place. Mark, Roger, I love you, but your kingdom sucks.   
I plan on going back to Voathiel and attempting to restore it with Maureen. I’m probably going to get emotional, and it’d be a lot of hard work. But I have to. For my parents. For my kingdom. And to say a big fuck you to the king and queen of Mirardot.  
Sitting at my vanity, I wished more than anything to be back home. Everything in Mirardot is fancy, there’s clear distinguishment between classes. I picked up my Voathiel tiara, running my finger along the delicate silver engravings. There weren’t even jewels in it. Mirardot crowns were big, gold, and full of jewels. They looked heavy, uncomfortable, and honestly tacky.   
Sighing, I put the tiara down. No more stalling. I got up, heading over to Mark’s room. Wow, it already feels weird not having Roger around. I got attached fast. Or he’s talkative. Or both. Having friends was nice. Maybe men aren’t so bad after all. I still won’t date them though.  
I pushed open Mark’s door. He was on his bed polishing his camera.   
“Ready to go?” I asked unenthusiastically.  
“Yeah,” he stood up. “This is the longest I’ve gone without filming anything… I guess I’m not as alone anymore,” he set his camera back on it’s shelf.  
“I’m still surprised Mirardot has technology. It was all just talk in Voathiel,” I remarked.  
“It’s relatively new here, but people know about it. Some people are still hesitant about it though,” Mark shrugged as we began walking to the dining hall.  
I nodded, then frowned. “Ew, I just remembered that we’re technically engaged,” I shook my head.  
Mark laughed a little. “If we are, that’s gonna end soon. I’m… planning on proposing to Roger soon,” he fidgeted with his hands, smiling nervously.  
“Awwwww, that’s great. I guess you kind of have to, but at least you two are actually in love,” I responded, smiling.  
He nodded. “I’m excited. For that, and to be rid of my parents,” Mark said.  
“Same. Speaking of, we should probably stop saying that. The next few floors have guards on them, right?” I said.  
Mark nodded. “And we should… maybe hold hands or something,” he sighed.  
“Yeah… just remember it’s platonic,” I reached out carefully.  
“Of course. We’re both very gay,” Mark accepted my hand.  
“Fuck yeah. Now, let’s do this,” I said, sounding much more confident than I felt.  
We headed up the last few flights of stairs hand in hand. My thoughts are both everywhere and nowhere. I’m worried, excited, nervous, scared. So much was about to happen. No one had caught us yet, considering the food made it past the royal tasters. That was one good thing. I’m also thinking about the differences between Mirardot and Voathiel’s cultures, for some reason.   
Mirardot, being the violent and bloody place that it is, loves meat. And I’m almost positive the meat isn’t ethically harvested. In Voathiel, meat is eaten, but it isn’t a super important thing like it is in Mirardot. And the meat is harvested ethically, which is the biggest difference. I never ate much meat, and I don’t like it that much. Yet another reason for me to hate Mirardot, I guess.  
I had to snap myself out of my thoughts, because we had arrived at the dining room.  
“You ready?” Mark whispered to me before he opened the doors.  
“I guess. Are you?” I returned the question.  
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” he sighed softly.  
I nodded, and he pushed open the doors. He started leading me to the table. I was surprised at first, but then realized that’s Mirardot culture. Sexism. Ew, that means I need to be submissive. I hate everything about this.  
“So, I’m assuming you two are doing well?” The king gave an unsettling smile at our intertwined hands.  
“Yes, we’re doing great,” Mark smiled a much nicer smile.  
“I’m beginning to see how nice Mirardot and its people are,” I swallowed. That sentence would only be true once Mark takes his reign.  
“It really is a lovely place,” the queen added, taking a bite of her salad. Oh boy, I can’t wait for the poison to work.  
I nodded, letting go of Mark’s hand to eat. Our salads were actually good, without the poison. Sybil had replaced the belladonna with blueberries in Mark and I’s salad. There was going to be five courses, which should give time for the poison to take effect. There’s… definitely more than a lethal amount in their salads. I may have gotten a bit angry when helping. I just hope that means they’ll die faster.  
“So, Joanne, I assume you want kids, right?” The queen asked.  
“Of course. There needs to be an heir after Mark,” Ew. ew. I hate this. It’s to be expected, Mirardot is sexist, but ew.  
We ate the rest of the course in a slightly awkward silence. Mark’s parents were definitely judging us, probably waiting for us to slip up or something. It felt like their eyes were staring into my soul.   
After the salad was the soup course. There was so much to be aware of, this felt like the most anxious dinner of my life. I guess it should, considering we’re in the process of murdering two royal people, but still.  
“Hey, have you… tamed this wild brat yet?” Mark’s dad asked Mark with a wink, smiling cockily.  
Oh my god. He means… he means sex.  
“I- I mean, yeah,” Mark replied, most likely trying to sound confident, his face red.  
I don’t want to think about that. Ew. Straight sex. With Mark. Gross.

The rest of the dinner was relatively uneventful, thank god. We had our appetizer course, the main course, and we had finally arrived at dessert. I felt gross, every course after the salad had meat in it, and the main course was meat. Luckily, the dessert didn’t have any in it. I don’t know how it could, but Mirardot would probably find a way.  
I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard the king coughing.  
“I don’t- I don’t feel too good…” he said in between coughs.  
The queen gasped, standing up. “You!” she pointed at me. “What did you do to my husband?!” she yelled at me.   
“I killed him, and you’re next!” I jumped out of my chair, pointing my dagger at her.   
“All you Voathiel scum are the same-” she started coughing, collapsing next to her husband.   
Mark and I stood in a shocked silence for a minute or two.  
I walked over to where they collapsed. “I… they’re definitely dead,” I tried not to smile. I was ecstatic, but Mark probably wasn’t.  
“We’re free,” Mark took a shaky breath.  
I nodded. “We did it,” I said.  
Mark went over to his parents’ bodies. He took off his dad’s crown.  
“Fuck you, dad. This is my kingdom now,” he grinned, placing it on his head.   
“Hell yeah!” I exclaimed.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wow me posting in a (kind of) timely fashion, that's new. This chapter is reasonably long this time, 2600 words, and some... interesting things happen. have fun reading :)

Roger’s POV

After the servant serving dessert came back down to the kitchens, I began waiting at the door, listening for anything hinting it happened. I was so anxious, just worried for Mark and Joanne, but when I heard Joanne yelling threats, I assumed it went well.  
I waited a couple of minutes, then headed upstairs. When I got to the dining hall, I cautiously opened the door.  
“I heard Joanne’s threats, did it work? Oh yeah they’re dead-” I asked, and then saw the dead bodies.  
“We did it!” Joanne was grinning.  
I smiled, heading over to Mark. He closed the distance, tumbling into my arms.  
“Hey, I’m proud of you,” I wrapped my arms around him. Jeez, his heart is beating fast.  
Mark just nodded. I can’t imagine what he’s feeling right now.  
After a long moment, Mark finally spoke up. “I guess we have things to do now. I’m… I’m the king now,” he let go of me.  
“I mean, this is gonna cause a huge uproar, isn’t it?” I asked.  
Joanne nodded. “Before anything, some sort of announcement needs to be made. I would say we’d need to hide any evidence, but this is Mirardot. Murder is a casual thing around here,” she said.  
“I’ve been preparing what I’m going to say, a little bit,” Mark glanced at his parent’s bodies.  
“How do you even call all the townsfolk to listen?” I questioned.  
“Mirardot’s castle has a bell that can be rung. It calls everyone to the front of the castle so royalty can make announcements,” Mark explained.  
“Oh boy, this is going to be fun,” Joanne said, only sounding half sarcastic.  
“Fuck, I hope the guards don’t get suspicous. We need to go to the top floor to ring the bell,” Mark turned to the door.  
“Well, at least there isn’t any blood on us,” Joanne replied.  
“I don’t think we look too guilty, so we should be alright,” I gently took Mark’s hand, which was shaking.  
Joanne nodded. “Let’s hope so,” she said.  
Mark led the way, and we headed up even more flights of stairs. Mirardot’s castle was fucking huge. There’s at least ten floors, probably more.  
The top floor wasn’t really a floor, more just a hallway to the many towers, one of which housed the bell. That’s the one we went to.  
“Roger, help me ring this bell. It’s very heavy,” Mark called me over to the rope.  
“Or you’re just weak,” I smirked.  
Mark sighed. “Sure, if that makes your ego happy,” he remarked.  
I laughed, then actually helped him.  
After ringing the bell, we went down to the hallway. The tower was tall enough that the bell wasn’t super loud, but it was still making noise.  
“We need to go to the top of the castle to make the announcement, on the balconies,” Mark sighed.  
“Why is your castle so tall?” Joanne asked.  
“Two words. Greed, and power,” Mark said in response.  
We went up one of the towers, which had a winding staircase. There were way too many stairs in this castle. It was tiring.  
Mark pushed open the door at the top. “With the circumstances, the reason we’re up here kind of sucks. But regardless of that, the view is incredible,” Mark looked at us while he talked, and then walked outside.  
I gasped. He was right. You could see the entire country from up here. “Woah…” I guess this shows that I spent most of my life indoors.  
“I guess Mirardot does have a second redeeming quality,” Joanne leaned on the ledge.  
Mark smiled. “Enjoy it while you can. Soon we’ll be mobbed with some townsfolk who may not be happy to hear their king and queen are dead,” his smile faded.  
“Hey, it can’t be all bad. I’m sure plenty of Mirardot citizens secretly hated your parents,” I reassured Mark, going to stand next to him.  
“Okay, I guess you’re right,” He took a breath, taking my hand again.  
I turned my head to face Mark’s and kissed him. “Good luck kiss,” I squeezed his hand.  
He laughed, smiling a little. “Thanks,” he said.  
I nodded, then turned to Joanne, who came to join us.  
“I can finally rebuild Voathiel now,” she smiled, propping her elbow up on the ledge.  
“You know, we could probably have a double coronation, and officially crown you queen of Voathiel,” Mark said,  
Joanne looked down, grinning. “I would love that,” she smiled.  
“And, depending on what she wants, Maureen can be declared Queen of Voathiel at you two’s wedding,” Mark added.  
“Yeah, I need to talk to her about that. Maureen may want to distance herself from Mirardot, considering everything, but if not then she can be the unofficial queen of both kingdoms. Whatever she wants,” Joanne shrugged.  
Mark nodded, then glanced down. “Oh god, people are already showing up,” he sighed.  
“It’s okay, you’ll do great. There’s going to be a lot of supporters, and hey, what can the non supporters do besides protest? You’re the next heir, and your parents are dead. There isn’t much they can do,” I shrugged.  
Mark nodded. “You’re right. I can do this,” Mark took a deep breath, squeezing my hand for reassurance.  
We waited for a few more minutes, watching people slowly trickle in. A lot look confused, probably wondering where Mark’s parents were and who Joanne and I are. Well, let’s hope they want to hear that the former king and queen were both dead on the dining room floor.  
“You know, I think I forgot just how many citizens of Mirardot are peasants,” Mark said after observing the crowd.  
“Exactly. They should be happy you’re king now,” I replied.  
“Hopefully you can close the economy gap a little too,” Joanne added.  
Mark nodded. “I’m going to try my hardest,” he said.  
After another few minutes, it seemed that everyone was here.  
“Ready?” I asked Mark.  
He nodded. “I think so,” he replied.  
“Citizens of Mirardot… King Mark the XII and Queen Mallory are dead, and I, King Mark the XIII, am now king,” Mark started. There was a collective gasp from the crowd at the word “dead”.  
“I killed them, with the help of Joanne, Princess of Voathiel. It is my vow to bring acceptance into Mirardot. To close the gap between the lower and upper class. To bring up the wages of the lower class. And to free the servants who wish to be free. And I will do so with my partner, Roger Davis, at my side,” Mark said, and then turned to kiss me.  
There was a short moment of silence, and then one citizen called out “All hail King Mark!”  
Then a chant of “All hail King Mark!” began from most of the citizens.  
It lasted for nearly five minutes, nearly everyone cheering and chanting for Mark. There were definitely some angry non supporters, a couple of them even left, but almost everyone was in support. It was amazing.  
“Thank you everyone!” Mark said once everyone calmed down. He took a bow, then went back inside, Joanne and I following close behind.  
Once inside, I hugged Mark, then kissed him quickly. “I’m so proud of you!” I exclaimed, picking him up and spinning him around.  
Mark laughed happily. “Thank you! I can’t believe it went so well,” he replied, detaching himself from me.  
“I think the only bad thing about Mirardot were your parents,” Joanne added.  
I nodded. “It seems like everyone was just scared to protest, besides the few non supporters,” I said.  
Mark nodded. “My parents were… scary. I’m just so fucking glad they’re dead,” he breathed a sigh of relief.  
“We’re all free now,” I smiled, kissing him again.  
Mark grinned against my lips, wrapping his arms around my neck.  
“Get a room!” Joanne exclaimed, half joking.  
I laughed. “We will be having some… fun, tonight,” I said suggestively.  
Mark giggled.  
“Gross,” Joanne replied.  
After another moment of celebratory silence, Joanne spoke again.  
“On a more serious note… what do we do with the bodies?” she asked.  
“We could talk to my mom. She might know what to do,” I suggested.  
“Yeah, I think we need a real adult right now. Roger, you don’t count,” she replied.  
I laughed a little. “Thanks,” I said, taking Mark’s hand gently.  
Mark sighed. “Why can’t we have that fun now?” he asked as we began walking.  
“Don’t worry, it’ll make up for all of the not fun things we’re doing now,” I told him.  
“You two are gay,” Joanne said.  
“Very gay,” I grinned.  
After Mark and I had our moment, we started the long walk to the servant’s quarters.  
“God, this castle is so big,” Joanne said.  
“Well, I can’t change that,” Mark replied.  
“We could probably do something good with all the space, considering half of it is probably going to waste,” I suggested.  
Mark nodded, then sighed. “There’s so much to do,” he said.  
“Don’t worry, we can do it together. And we have lots of time, and we also don’t have to do anything in secrecy anymore,” I squeezed his hand gently.  
“You do have a point,” Mark smiled faintly.  
We walked in a thoughtful silence for the rest of the way. Mark was right, as much as I hate to admit it. Not that I didn’t want to do any of it, just… I feel bad for Mark. His entire life was flipped upside down in a matter of days, he just lost his parents, as awful as they were, and now he doesn’t even get a break. He has to rebuild and run an entire kingdom. And, as much as I’d like to help, there was only so much I could do. And then Joanne… She has to rebuild her kingdom from scratch, after losing it all in a nearly lifelong war for her. Suddenly my problems from a week ago seem miniscule.  
After a while, we reached our destination. All the servants let out a cheer when we came in, a celebration well underway. Mark couldn’t help but smile.  
We moved through the crowds of people, looking for my mom. We found her near the back, watching the crowds with a motherly gaze. When she saw us, she broke out in a happy grin.  
“You did it, my kids!” she pulled us all in for a hug.  
We all laughed and smiled. Who knew murder could be such a happy event?  
“Have you all come to celebrate? The others brought out the good alcohol for this,” my mom said after letting us go.  
“As much as we’d like to, we kind of need your help with something,” Joanne answered. “Also, Mark and I are underage,” she added.  
Sybil waved her hand at that. “You two are both technically kingdom leaders, a little wine won’t hurt. But what do you need? Celebration can wait,” she said.  
“The um… bodies,” I said.  
“I don’t want it to be a huge thing. I just want it to be discreet and over with,” Mark continued.  
My mom nodded. “Fair enough. It’s probably best to do it now actually, since everyone’s distracted and not sober,” she replied.  
“I know a secret door we can sneak out of. It leads straight to the courtyard,” I said. I discovered that door when dating Ailwin, as it also leads to the stables, but they don’t need to know that.  
“Let me just get some old sheets to wrap them in. They’ll be easier to carry too,” my mom began walking to the linen closet, us following behind.  
I briefly worried about others noticing what we were doing and getting curious, but my mom was right. Everyone was losing their sobriety fast. It makes sense though, considering servants basically never get a break.  
Once my mom got the sheets, we headed back to the dining room. Joanne and my mom wrapped the bodies up while Mark and I watched.  
“You doing okay?” I turned to ask him, stroking his hair softly.  
“Kind of,” Mark said after a long moment, his gaze fixed on the bodies.  
I just nodded, unsure of how to help. It was a hard day for Mark.  
“Roger, come help me with carrying this. Joanne… has the other one,” my mom said, glancing at Joanne with wonder. She was carrying one of the bodies all on her own.  
“What? I’m strong,” Joanne said when she noticed our stares.  
I let go of Mark’s hand, going to help my mom. We transported the bodies downstairs, the guards paying no attention to us. It seemed everyone was in support of the murders, aside from the few guard spots I saw missing.  
I led us to the secret door, and we walked across the courtyard, all the way to the back of the cemetery.  
“Oh, we need shovels,” I noticed.  
“Well… You could ask Ailwin,” Joanne suggested reluctantly.  
I sighed. “He’s most definitely in the stables still…” I glanced at Mark.  
“Don’t worry. I trust you,” Mark said,  
I nodded. “I’ll be right back,” I jogged over to the stables.  
I felt bad leaving Mark alone, even if it was for just a second, considering… everything. But being alone for a few minutes was better than dealing with Ailwin. Maybe I’m being paranoid, but after thinking about last time, I feel like him being nice was just an act. Even I’m in disbelief about dating the prince, or now king. Ailwin probably thinks it’s fake or something, or he’s jealous. Or both. Either way, it’s not a good idea to bring Mark around him right now. I just need to get the shovels and go.  
When I reached the stables, I took a deep breath, steeling myself for whatever’s about to happen.  
I walked inside cautiously. “Ailwin..?” I called out.  
“Hi Roger,” he said, popping out of a shadow and scaring me slightly. “I see you’ve come alone,” he smiled, not in a good way though. Not in the way I know and used to love.  
“Yeah. I just need to borrow some…” I stopped talking as Ailwin approached me, coming close. Too close.  
I stepped backwards, away from him, but he kept coming closer. As my stomach twisted into knots, I bumped into a wall.  
“You can’t tell me that prince actually loves you.” Ailwin trapped me, placing his hands on the wall beside my head, looming ominously over me. Since when was he so tall?  
“What would you know about love?” I fired back.  
I saw a flash of hurt in his eyes, but it was gone in an instant. “He’s using you. You’re just one of his boy toys. I know you don’t leave the basement often, slave boy, so you don’t see anything. But I do. I’ve seen what he does. I’ve seen the countless amount of people he’s used, and disposed of when he got bored…” Ailwin kept rambling, but I wasn’t listening. Mark couldn’t. That doesn’t sound like him at all. It… no. Ailwin is lying. Right? It can’t be true. It can’t. “...You may think you love him, Roger, but you don’t. You love the fake version he put up to seduce you. You want to feel real love? Get back with me. I’ll show you,” Ailwin finally shut up.  
But… First of all, I don’t love Ailwin, and second, this isn’t the Ailwin I know. He never used to use my first name, at first as a joke, but then for real. It was always Davis…  
“No. No,” I shoved Ailwin off of me.  
Startled, he stumbled back, falling over.  
“You’re going to regret that, you slave,” he growled at me, getting up.  
I was too overwhelmed to react, or even move. I stayed frozen in shock.  
Ailwin walked over to me again, and I felt panic wash over me.  
“Let me show you what you’re missing…”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> okokok SO I wrote a tiny bit of (really bad) smut in this because I wanted to try it and my friend wanted me too (hi Felix) but, because I am demisexual and have never written smut before, it is really bad. I put a couple of disclaimers so you can skip it, it really isn't important. There is a sex ed lesson because a certain awkward prince doesn't understand how babies are made, but it is much less in detail, so it should be okay. Just wanted to warn y'all!

While waiting for Roger to return, a million thoughts run through my head. And yet, I can’t focus on even one. My mind was just… everywhere.  
After a few minutes of waiting though, one thought suddenly rang out, loud and clear.  
Roger.  
“Roger…” I said out loud.  
“What about Roger?” Joanne turned to me, her face a mix of worry and confusion.  
“I… I don’t know. He’s… He’s in danger,” I stood up from the fence I was leaning on.  
“He’s in danger?” Sybil asked me.  
I nodded, already walking away. I was being controlled by a strong feeling, there’s no other way to describe it. Just a deep, deep feeling.  
“Mark, let me come with you-” Joanne started trying to follow, but I cut her off.  
“No. This… I need to go alone,” I don’t know why I’m doing any of this, I just know I have too.  
“I… Okay. You know what you’re doing,” Joanne started to protest, but understood.   
I glanced at her, then nodded once.  
I started walking away, going to find Roger. When I was halfway there, the feelings got stronger, a sharp, almost pain pierced my thoughts. I began running. Roger needed me.  
When I got to the stable, I saw a scene I didn’t ever want to see.  
Ailwin had pinned Roger to the wall, and was kissing him intensely. At first, I was angry, but then I realized… Roger didn’t want this. At all. He looked panicked, and frozen.  
I ran over there, shoving Ailwin with more force than I ever thought I had in me.  
“Oh look Roger, the prince in shining armour is here to save you,” Ailwin didn't even seem shocked by me pushing him to the ground, though he sounded winded.  
“Learn the meaning of consent, you disgusting monster,” I spit at him.  
He laughed a hollow laugh. “Look who’s talking,” Ailwin replied.  
“What… are you talking about?” I asked Ailwin, then glanced at Roger.  
Roger seemed too shaken to reply, but Ailwin spoke before he would even get a chance to.  
“Wow, the prince in shining armour has saved too many people to even remember,” I looked at Ailwin as he spoke. His eyes looked empty. Like he either doesn’t know what he’s saying, or he’s lost his sanity. Probably both.  
I went over to Roger. “Are you… of course you aren’t okay,” I shook my head.  
Roger took a breath. “I… Ailwin told me he’s seen you date countless people and just… used them. That’s what he’s talking about. I don’t… I didn’t believe him, but I’d like to hear it from you,” Roger looked at the ground.   
I paused for a second. I never had any friends before Joanne and Roger, let alone dated anyone. Ailwin completely made that up. “I don’t even… Ailwin doesn’t even have anything to base his claims off of. I’ve never even had friends. Remember when I asked about other queer people? I wasn’t lying. I’ve always been just… a sheltered prince,” I said.   
Roger nodded, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. “I thought so. He’s just jealous, and possibly crazy,” Roger glanced down at Ailwin, still on the floor and muttering to himself.  
“Why did you come back for me?” Roger finally looked up.   
“I… there was this strong feeling, the one clear thought in my mind was you. It was like… my mind telling me you were in trouble. It got stronger on the way here,” I explained.   
Roger laughed a little, his smile growing. “You really do love me,” he said.  
My heart melted. “Of course I do! Why wouldn’t I?” I took Roger’s hands in mine.   
He kissed me, squeezing my hands. I smiled against his lips, pressing my forehead to his.  
After a long moment, Roger spoke. “Thank you,” he said.  
“Anytime,” I gave his hands a final, comforting squeeze, then let go, turning to address Ailwin.  
“We should probably lock him in the dungeon or something, huh?” I said.  
“For now, yeah. Once we take care of the bigger problem, we can get him medical attention,” Roger replied, glancing at him.  
I nodded, grabbing some rope off the nearby wall. I tied Ailwin’s hands behind his back, partially for safety reasons and partially because he deserved it.   
Roger walked over to help me drag him downstairs.   
“We’re really getting our exercise today, aren’t we?” Roger joked as we climbed down more stairs.   
I laughed. “And it isn't even the fun kind,” I said in reply, grinning cheekily.  
“Another reason not to believe Ailwin, your skill in bed,” Roger replied.   
“There’s the Roger I love,” I smiled happily, even if it was a sex joke.  
Roger giggled, proud of himself.  
We finally made it to the dungeon, which took longer than usual because of a detour we had to make. We couldn’t go through the servants’ quarters because of the raging party there.  
I dragged Ailwin into one of the far cells as he continued muttering. I didn’t want to push Roger any further, but it kind of made sense, why he went crazy. Not having any social interaction really takes a toll on you.   
I left Ailwin behind, joining Roger again. “Well, back to the first problem,” I sighed.  
Roger just nodded as we began walking, giving a last, wistful glance at Ailwin’s cell.

Once we got back outside, we had to explain everything that happened.  
“He did what to you?” Joanne interrupted Roger, pulling her dagger from its sheath.  
“Yeah, it was creepy as hell,” Roger replied, glancing at her knife.  
She put it away, but kept her hand on it as Roger continued explaining.  
“...But now he’s locked in the dungeon, so don’t worry about him,” Roger finished after a few more minutes of explaining.  
“I’m just glad you’re safe,” Sybil told him.  
“I guess there won’t be a third murder today,” Joanne dropped her hand.  
Roger laughed. “Not today,” he said.   
After a moment of contemplation, I spoke. “Well, back to the matter at hand, I guess,” I glanced at my parent’s bodies. Roger and I grabbed shovels on the way back.   
“You don’t need to help if you don’t want to,” Roger placed a hand on my shoulder.  
“I want to help but I don’t know if I can,” my voice came out in a whisper.  
Roger nodded, squeezing my shoulder gently.  
While Joanne and Roger started digging the… graves, I went to sit by the fence. It was finally hitting me that I was the king. I could finally begin cleaning up my parents’ mess. I could finally be myself.   
I rested my head on my knees, thinking. There was so much to do, and I want to do it, but… I wish I had more time to prepare. Everything was happening so fast.  
“Mark?” Roger’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked up.  
“C’mon, we can go now. It’s… they’re buried now,” Roger offered his hand out.  
I took it, letting him pull me up. He led me out of the cemetery, and I only looked back at my parents’ grave once. They put a small wooden sign there, but no tombstones.   
“We wanted to leave it unmarked, but decided against it since they are still technically royalty,” Roger explained when he saw my gaze.  
I nodded. “Fair enough,” I replied.  
“Hey, have I told you recently that I love you?” Roger smiled at me.  
“Yeah, but I’d like to hear it again,” I smiled. His smile is contagious.  
Roger laughed. “I love you,” he looked into my eyes, tilting my chin up to kiss me.  
“I love you too,” I grinned against his lips.  
“We aren’t even inside yet, can’t you wait like five seconds?” Joanne said, but she was smiling.   
“It’s not my fault my boyfriend’s lips are so kissable,” Roger smirked.  
“I’m only tolerating you because Mark deserves it right now,” Joanne turned away from us.  
“Wow, we should murder people more often,” I turned to kiss Roger again.  
“Agreed,” Joanne stroked her knife.  
“I love my murderous children,” Sybil joined the conversation.  
“I mean, we are in Mirardot. But this time, the murders will be justified,” I said.  
“All hail King Mark,” Roger grinned at me.  
I smiled, grateful. Grateful that I’ll always have people by my side to support me. It’s a wonderful, wonderful feeling.  
Roger’s POV  
After walking for a while longer, we made it downstairs, where everyone had somehow gotten drunker. It was an odd sight, not seeing everyone working. It was a happy sight though, as everyone looked happy. Sure, we all goofed off a lot, but we were still servants. Doomed to what we thought, and was, for some, an eternal life of servitude. So… although it was kind of hectic, it made me happy.   
Joanne disappeared into the crowd, and Mark and I found a quiet corner to talk in. Mark took a deep breath, sliding down the wall. I sat next to him, taking his hand again.  
“Too much has happened today,” Mark said, resting his head on my shoulder.  
I nodded. “At least it’s almost over,” I traced lines on Mark’s hand gently, thinking.  
“I’m going to sleep forever,” he sighed.   
I smiled. “Well, you deserve it,” I kissed his forehead.  
Mark smiled. “I can’t wait to marry you,” he said, eyes closed.  
I grinned, laughing happily. “Same,” I squeezed his hand.  
After a moment of peaceful silence, Mark spoke again.  
“I guess we kind of have to, but do you think we’ll ever have kids?” he asked.  
“I never really wanted kids because of the whole servant thing, but now… I think I do. Especially if they’re as cute as you,” I smiled.  
Mark laughed. “You’re cuter and don’t look like evil tyrants, so I hope they look like you,” he joked.  
“Okay okay, fine. Not for a while though, I think we’ve got enough to deal with,” I replied.  
Mark nodded. “Wow… it really is time to be adults, isn’t it?” he said. It seemed reality was finally setting in for him.  
“Yeah. I know some things are out of our control, but what is in our control we can take slowly. We don’t need to overwork ourselves,” I tried to reassure him.  
“I’m just glad to have someone like you on my side,” Mark smiled a little.  
“It’s always good to have a handsome guitarist on your side,” I grinned cheekily.   
“Oh god, I’ve inflated your ego again,” Mark shook his head, his smile growing.  
“Well, there’s only one person who’s prettier than me, and he happens to be right next to me,” I smiled softly, turning to Mark to kiss him.   
He came closer to me, wrapping his arms around me. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of kissing Mark.  
Mark sighed happily, resting his head on my shoulder. I smiled, holding him in my arms. Despite the raging party around us, I felt at peace. It really did feel like Mark and I were soulmates, meant to find each other in the crazy world. Curled up with him, it felt like nothing could hurt us, so long as we had each other.  
After a few moments of blissful silence, Mark spoke. “Remember the fun you mentioned earlier?” Mark’s smile went from sweet to… suggestive in one sentence.  
I laughed a bit. “I mean… I don’t think anyone will miss us if we disappear for a while,” I grinned.  
Mark nodded, detangling himself from my arms and standing up. He took my hand, helping me up.   
I kissed him one last time, then let him lead me away. Everyone was drunk enough that they didn’t notice us leave, even if Mark was the very reason the party was happening.   
We made our way down the deserted hallways. It seemed that even the guards were against the former rulers.   
Eventually, we reached Mark’s room, closing the door behind us. We were finally alone.  
Third Person POV *SMUT BEGINS HERE*  
Roger pushed Mark against the wall, kissing him intensely. Mark wrapped his legs around Roger, grinding against him.  
“These. Off,” Roger growled, tugging at Mark’s pants.  
Eventually, they were both undressed. Mark pushed two fingers inside Roger, who gasped, and then moaned.  
Roger reached between them, stroking Mark’s dick. Mark groaned, slipping his fingers out.  
Roger lowered himself onto Mark, moaning as Mark pushed inside. Even if he was small, it was still good sex.  
Mark began thrusting, stroking Roger’s clit as he did.   
“Mark, Mark Mark-” Roger yelled as they both came to their climax.  
“Oh you just- Well, I guess I’m pregnant now,” Roger looked down as they came down from their high.  
“Wait, what?” Mark asked.  
“Well, we forgot to get a condom so…” Roger replied.   
“That’s not how babies are made?” Mark asked more than stated.  
“Mark… what kind of sex education did you get?” Roger asked, confused.   
Joanne’s POV *SMUT ENDS HERE*  
As I was talking to the servants, learning what they thought of Mirardot, I noticed Mark and Roger sneak out. They’re definietly going to fuck.  
I sighed, leaning against a wall. At this point, everyone was too drunk to be good conversation. Sybil offered me wine, but I declined. Maybe it would be nice to get drunk, and forget… well, everything that’s happened for a few hours, but I don’t know. I just want to keep a clear head.   
I slid down the wall, resting my head on my knees. It was really hitting me, now that I didn’t have the murder to focus on. My kingdom is gone, my parents are dead… fuck. Fuck. I feel alone, but I’m not. It’ll be okay, I have Maureen, and Mark and Roger. I’m going to rebuild my kingdom, but it won’t be alone. And… Well, I’m planning to ask Maureen to rule alongside me in Voathiel. I just hope she accepts.  
I sighed, getting up. It’s been enough time that Mark and Roger should be done… I hope. I walked slowly once I was in the hallway, thinking. Maureen’s camp has enough people in it to at least start rebuilding Voathiel’s population, if they want to be a part of it. I know the survivors of the war and fire fled to her camp, so they’ll come back at the very least. And, considering how many cabins the camp has, there will be enough builders to rebuild the castle. How would I be able to pay them though? I sighed again. There was so much to figure out.   
When I got to Mark’s room, I paused for a moment, listening. I heard voices, so I assumed they were done.  
Big mistake.  
“I guess you’re done so I’ll come in- OH MY GOD-” I looked away, covering my traumatized eyes. Mark was… still inside of Roger.  
“Oh, hi Joanne!” Mark said.  
“Please get out of him before I look again,” I turned away.  
“Mark got me pregnant,” Roger said casually. I heard him grabbing clothes.  
“Wait, are you sure that’s how it works?” Mark asked.  
“Joanne, we need to give Mark a sex ed lesson,” Roger sighed.  
“I will as soon as you put clothes on,” I said, still covering my eyes.  
“We’re dressed now, you can look,” Mark said.  
“Good,” I dropped my hands. “I am a traumatized lesbian,” I shook my head.  
Roger laughed. “Sorry,” he said.  
“Just… what happened?” I asked.  
“We may have forgotten to get a condom,” Roger answered.  
“So Mark…” I didn’t want to say it.   
Roger nodded. “Yeah,” he scratched his neck.  
“Wait… that’s how babies are made?” Mark asked, even more confused.  
“You poor Mirardot child,” I shook my head.  
“The… baby juice goes into the vagina, which fertilizes the eggs and… makes a baby,” Roger tried to explain simply.  
“Humans have eggs??” Mark said after a moment.  
“They’re not-” I sighed. “It’s… more like a pile of baby cells, I guess?” I tried to simplify it more, which just sounded stupid.  
“So I… might’ve fertilized Roger’s baby cells, which means he could be pregnant,” Mark clarified.  
I nodded. “Basically, yes,” I replied. At least he somewhat got it.  
“I could give you a… hands on lesson, if you want,” Roger grinned.  
“You literally just had sex!” I exclaimed, exasperated.   
Roger giggled, going to sit at the top of Mark’s bed.  
“Wait, what if you are pregnant?” I asked.  
“Yeah, we were just talking about not having kids for a while because of everything,” Mark added, sitting next to Roger.  
“I mean… I might not be?” Roger replied, crawling into Mark’s lap.   
“You two just became the kings, and now…” I trailed off, sitting on the edge of the bed.  
Mark nodded. “I can barely take care of myself, let alone a baby,” Mark bit his lip.  
“It’ll be okay. If I am pregnant, we can manage. We have nine months to prepare, we can do it,” Roger comforted him, tracing patterns on Mark’s hand.  
“How has so much happened in like, three days?” I asked.  
“I don’t know, but I do know I’m exhausted,” Mark sighed.  
“Well, it is late, and a lot’s happened today,” Roger said.  
“Yeah, I’m surprised you two have only fucked once,” I remarked, smiling slightly.  
Roger laughed. “Well, we were kind of busy causing a murder,” he said.  
“Okay okay, fair enough,” I replied.  
“What are we gonna do tomorrow?” Mark asked.  
“We should probably go tell Maureen what happened,” I responded.  
“Or you’re gay for her,” Roger joked.  
“...That could possibly have something to do it,” I said.  
Roger laughed. “Regardless, it is a good idea,” he said.  
I nodded. “I… I want to ask if she’ll rule Voathiel with me, once we rebuild it,” I looked   
at my hands. The only reason I’m so nervous is because ruling a kingdom was one of the things Maureen had run from. Asking her to just… practically abandon all the work she did building her camp and then come and do the very thing she ran from to build that camp felt… mean, I guess.  
“If you’re worried she won’t accept because she was technically supposed to rule Mirardot, don’t be,” Mark interjected. “Voathiel and Mirardot are so different that it isn’t really comparable. And I think the eldest Mirardot kid going to rule the kingdom we- my parents, took down in war is a nice way to say fuck you to them,” he finshed.   
I nodded, smiling. “I think you’re right. I just hope Maureen will see it that way,” I sighed.  
“Let’s get some sleep. It’s been a long day for all of us,” Roger said.  
“It really has,” I agreed, standing up.  
“I need to say good night to my mom… though she may be drunk,” Roger kissed Mark’s forehead, then got out of his lap.  
“I’m going to head back to my room, so good night my two very horny friends,” I grinned.  
“Rude,” Mark said.  
“But true,” Roger added.  
I laughed, heading to the door.  
“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Roger leaned down to kiss Mark.  
“You better be,” Mark replied afterwards.  
“I promise,” Roger kissed his head one last time, then followed me outside.  
We were headed in the same direction for a bit, so we walked together.   
“You know what we are? The unofficial royalty club,” Roger grinned.  
I laughed. “I guess so. My kingdom is non-existent, and you need to get married,” I said.  
Roger nodded. “I wonder when Mark’s going to propose. What’ll the ring look like? Will we have celebratory se-”  
“Do not finish that sentence,” I told him.  
He chuckled to himself.  
“I still need to ask Maureen to be my girlfriend. Or wait until she asks. We’ll see,” I said.  
Roger nodded. “She’ll say yes, of course. And I think she’ll say yes to ruling Voathiel with you, too. Voathiel will be like… a slightly fancier camp,” he said.   
I laughed a little. “I mean, I guess so,” I said, stopping. I reached my bedroom.   
“Good night again, Roger,” I said.  
“Good night, Queen Joanne of Voathiel the fancy camp,” Roger grinned.   
“Thanks,” I laughed.  
He bowed goofily, then headed downstairs.  
I smiled, pushing open my door. It really was nice to have friends.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi so this chapter got really really long, uhhhh it's over 7k words and 15 pages I'm sorry- but I got to include some of my best friend's writing in it!! And i think it's a fun chapter so have fun reading :))

Joanne's POV  
I woke up early the next morning, before Mark and Roger. I guess they tired themselves out last night.  
While waiting for them, I decided to… modify some of the dresses Mark gave me. I’m tired of wearing Mirardot clothes, but I don’t really have a choice. And, even if I did find the least fancy of the dresses, they were still not good enough for me.  
I pulled one of them out, laying it on my bed. The dress was what I wore on the first day here… the first of the only two dinners with Mark’s parents. I grinned, running my fingers along my dagger.  
Modifying the dress was going to be so satisfying. I unsheathed my dagger, cutting the satin skirt. It wasn’t the most perfect cut, but it was better now. It hung just past the knees now, like Voathiel dresses, instead of at the floor. I began ripping off the amethysts and lace decorating it. Voathiel dresses were either plain, or had simpler designs, like bodices laced with ribbon. Not weird patterns made of jewels and frilly lace.   
Once it was all removed, the dress looked a lot nicer. The only thing wrong with it was the muted lavender colour, but there wasn’t much I could do about that.   
I changed out of my pajamas and put the dress on, admiring my work. I smiled. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a lot closer to Voathiel style now. I put my tiara on. There was no one to stop me from wearing it now.  
I headed into the hallway, going to wake up Mark and Roger.  
“You two aren’t fucking, right?” I asked after I knocked.  
“No, you’re safe!” Roger called back.  
“Good,” I opened the door.  
Mark yawned, reaching around Roger to get his glasses.  
“Woah, did you change your dress?” Roger asked, looking me over.  
I laughed. “Yeah. I hate all of Mirardot’s fanciness, so I fixed it,” I smiled.  
“Did your dagger help you?” Roger glanced at the hem of my skirt.  
“Shush, it gives it more charm that way,” I told him.  
He laughed. “Fair enough. I like the fancy clothes, but that could be because I’ve never gotten to wear them,” Roger tried to disentangle himself from Mark, but Mark held onto him.  
“No, stay,” Mark pouted.  
Roger laughed. “I was going to get up, but it seems I can’t,” Roger looked happy about that.  
I sighed. “Are we ever going to make it to Maureen’s?” I sat down.  
“Soon…” Mark mumbled. He’d gone back to laying down, even after putting his glasses on. Roger wasn’t helping, cuddled next to him.  
“If you two aren’t going to get up, I’m going to go and work on my Voathiel plans. I will be back in a few minutes to make you get up, though,” I told them, standing up.  
“Yay,” Mark smiled, burying his face in Roger’s chest.  
I shook my head, but smiled as I left. Even if I was eager to go, I was glad to see Mark happy. We’ve both been through a lot recently. Even Roger has, considering the whole Ailwin situation.   
When I was back in my room, I pulled out the plans I’d begun making before I went to sleep last night. The Voathiel castle had to be rebuilt from scratch, all the old plans were lost in the fire. Basically everything was… even if they’d only planned to burn the castle, it spread to the rest of the kingdom. Thinking about it, that was probably their plan. Nearly all of our culture was lost. I just had to hope the citizens that did escape were able to hold onto some of it.  
I scratched out what I’d just drawn, frustrated. I need to talk to Maureen. And maybe the people who built the cabins. They have more experience than me, that’s for sure.   
I rested my head on my forearm, doodling a heart on the side of my scribbled mess. I just wanted to talk to Maureen. I love Mark and Roger, but Maureen is… different. She makes me see the world differently. She’s just… amazing. There aren’t enough words to describe her.  
I looked down, realizing how many hearts I’d drawn. Smiling a little, I stood up. I had to make Mark and Roger get up. Was it my lesbian brain that really wanted to see Maureen? Probably. But I’m going to keep telling myself it’s because I want to tell her about the murder and my plans to rebuild Voathiel.  
I pushed open Mark’s door. Both boys were still in bed. “C’mon you two, we have things to do,” I pulled the covers off of them.   
“No. I don’t want to be a prince anymore,” Mark said, muffled because his face was pressed against Roger.  
Roger laughed. “Joanne is right…” he said, but made no move to get up.  
I sighed dramatically.  
“Mark, we should probably get up. I think Joanne is going into scary lesbian mode,” Roger tried to detach himself from Mark.  
Mark grumbled in protest, but sat up.  
Roger went over to Mark’s closet, going inside. “Everything’s so fancy!” he said wistfully, running a hand over the first rack.  
“You can wear whatever you want, I think we’re the same size,” Mark got up, stretching.  
“Yay!” Roger exclaimed, already going deeper into the closet.  
“I’m going to leave so you can get dressed. Don’t distract each other, we don’t have time for you to fuck again,” I said as I left.  
“No promises!” Roger replied.  
“Gross!” I shut the door.  
I went back to my room. I sat at the vanity, looking at the jewelry I had. Yet another perk of Voathiel clothing was dresses with pockets. The last moment I had with my mom was her handing me all of her most special jewelry. It was all crafted with beautiful silver, and matched our delicate tiaras. I’m just glad I got to save some objects. I didn’t want to lose memories with my parents, and, though it sounded a bit shallow, objects helped remind me of people. Every piece of jewelry my mom saved reminded me of her. And… Well, all of the old plans were lost in the fire, but my dad managed to give me his journal. It had a lot of his future plans for the kingdom, and I plan to use them. A tear rolled down my cheek. I miss them. So much.   
I shook my head, wiping the tears away. No time to be sad. I went into the closet, finding a satchel I could use. I put my dad’s journal in it, along with the few good plans I’d drawn out. Now that our biggest obstacle was gone, it was really time to fight back. To bring Voathiel back, and make it even better than before, with the help of my… Mirardot friends. That felt weird to say, but it’s new Mirardot now. Fuck King Mark the twelfth and his stupid kindgom. It’s time for Mark the thirteenth’s reign. The best ruler Mirardot will ever see.   
I went back to Mark’s room for the third time this morning. So much back and forth.  
“Are you guys ready yet?” I opened the door.  
“Yes, yes, you eager lesbian,” Mark smiled.  
I laughed. “Good. Let’s go,” I said.  
We went back down to the stables.   
“I’m never going to see this place the same again,” Roger bit his lip.  
I nodded. “That’s to be expected,” I said.  
“Yeah,” he sighed, walking to his horse, Nalagit.  
“You and Mark should renovate this place someday. And hire a… more sane stable boy.” I said, getting on Luas.  
“It needs to be renovated anyway,” Mark said, glancing at the wooden walls that were worn with age.  
Roger nodded. “Regardless, that’s not important right now,” he said.  
“What is important is that I love you,” Mark leaned over to kiss Roger, nearly falling off of his horse in the process.  
Roger smiled. “I love you too, but please be careful,” he laughed as Mark tried to steady himself.  
“I swear I’m going to leave without you two,” I rolled my eyes, but smiled.  
“Yes yes, we can leave now,” Mark grinned, trying to play off the fact that he nearly fell.  
“Finally,” I said.  
We began our trip, and my mind wandered, still thinking about Voathiel. There was so much to do, and I couldn’t help but worry. It was going to take a while to recover, but I guess that was to be expected. The war did last for fourteen years. I can’t wait to talk to Maureen. She’ll be able to help me.  
When we reached the gate, Mark dismounted his horse, Tormáil, to open it. After that, Maureen’s camp wasn’t far.  
When we did reach it, we left our horses in the stable to search for Maureen on foot. It really was impressive how big the camp is. Maureen really was running an entire mini village.   
“Maureen!” I called when I saw her.  
She turned around, eyes lighting up. “You three are alive!” she smiled, walking over to us.   
“That’s morbid,” Roger laughed.  
“Sorry, I was just… worried, I guess. But is it done? Did you do it?” Maureen asked.  
I nodded. “We did. They’re finally dead.” I smiled.  
“Fuck yes! All hail King Mark,” Maureen exclaimed.   
Mark smiled. “Thank you. I’m just… So fucking happy,” he exhaled.  
“So am I,” Maureen agreed.  
“And I-” I started to talk, but was interrupted by a beam of light shooting between us, narrowly missing Mark.  
“Sorry, sorry! Did I hit anyone?” a person holding a wand ran over to us, followed by two others.  
“No, we’re all okay,” Roger replied.  
“Angel, this is why you don’t try to impress people,” one of them said.  
“Shush,” the person who I assumed was Angel said.  
The trio reached us, and one of them looked at Mark. “Why do I recognize you?” they asked.  
“I’m the prin- king, king of Mirardot,” Mark said.  
“Oh!! Well, I’m Mimi, and that’s Angel, and that’s Collins, the boy who she was trying to impress but then almost killed you by doing magic,” Mimi replied.  
“It was an accident, I swear!” Angel said, tucking her wand into her skirt pocket.  
“Wait… you’re like sixteen, so what happened to the previous king?” Collins asked.  
“We may have just murdered them last night,” I explained.  
“Good! They were evil,” Mimi crossed her arms.  
I laughed. “Agreed. And I’m Joanne, former Princess and soon to be Queen of Voathiel. And that’s Roger,” I introduced us.  
Mimi gasped. “Are you going to rebuild Voathiel? Because that sounds awesome!” she said.  
I nodded. “I plan too. It’s going to take a lot of work, but it’ll be worth it,” I said.  
“And I mean, Roger and I are basically rebuilding Mirardot. Or I guess restarting. Either way, whatever Mirardot used to be needs to change,” Mark added.  
“Well, I’m from Rhelilith, Collins is from Eloiri, and Angel is from Galawia, obviously, so now you’ve got allies from all those places!” Mimi smiled.  
“I don’t know if I could really say I’m from Eloiri anymore, I’ve been a part of Maureen’s camp for so long,” Collins corrected Mimi, taking Angel’s hand.  
“Regardless of where you’re all from, are you all really willing to be allies?” I asked. We’d only just met, but having more people on our side was definitely a good thing, and these people seemed trustworthy enough.  
Angel spoke up. “We all ran away, for one reason or another, and that means we were unhappy with some part of our lives. If there’s a way to fix it, we’re willing to help,” she said.  
I nodded thoughtfully. Looking at the camp, there were so many people, and Angel was right. For so many people to run away, nearly all of them being kids, something had to change.  
“There is a solution, something to help or fix everyone’s problem, and I’m going to find it,” I turned back to the group.  
“Hell yeah!” Roger said.  
“And we’ll all be here to help,” Angel smiled.  
“Even if it involves murder!” Mimi said cheerfully.   
“Remind me not to cross her,” Collins glanced at Mimi.  
“I like to keep up my innocent farm girl look, it’s even scarier being murdered by one over someone you’re expecting,” she smiled.  
“Well, it’s always good to have someone like that on our team,” I replied. “Now, I have things to discuss with Maureen, so Mark and Roger, you stay here,” I directed.   
“Don’t have too much fun without us,” Roger winked.  
“Oh my god. We’re not like you two,” I rolled my eyes, taking Maureen’s hand.  
Roger giggled as Maureen and I walked away.  
“So, what did you want to talk about?” Maureen smiled at me.  
I…” I began to talk, but got distracted when I looked up at Maureen. She’s only a few inches taller than me, and she’s just… beautiful. I stared into her eyes.   
“Joanne?” Maureen laughed.  
“Sorry! I got… distracted,” I blushed.  
She smiled. “I’m surprised I haven’t gotten distracted by you, yet,” she took my other hand, reaching down to kiss me.  
I smiled against her lips. Kissing her would never get old. It took me back to our first kiss, by the water, everytime. It was one of my favourite things.  
“Okay, no more getting distracted,” she said, grinning.  
“For now,” I replied, letting one of her hands go.  
We began walking again, hand in hand. Soon enough, we reached the shoreline. We sat down, and I rested my body against Maureen’s. She wrapped an arm around me, and we stayed like that for a moment, just enjoying each other’s presence.   
“You know… you make me feel safe,” Maureen said, placing her other hand on mine.  
I nodded, but Maureen looked like she had more to say.  
“I… I thought that building this camp would make me feel safe, and though it helped, I was only eighteen. Mirardot wasn’t far, Mark knew where I was… people knew I ran away, since I’m royalty. I’m honestly surprised that they didn’t send anyone to find me,” Maureen continued, saying “they” with disgust, which was understandable. It made me even happier that I killed them.  
“As the years went by, I guess I did feel a little safer. More people came, and no one suspicous was around. The only people from Mirardot were very against the current laws. But… there was still a nagging voice in the back of my head. The what ifs that continued to haunt me. And I was just so, so worried about Mark. He was only fifteen. And he wasn’t going to stand up to… to them. Even I couldn’t,” Maureen bit her lip. I squeezed her hand.  
“I knew the war was going to end with Mirardot winning. I didn’t want to be there to witness it. I… Well, ever since I was a kid, I wanted to be from Voathiel. A fair, just kingdom, with a proper balance of power. I guess it’s fitting that I fell in love with you,” she smiled, making me smile.  
“And… well, of course I’m in love with you now, but, once the war ended, I didn’t realize that they were going to kidnap you. I thought they’d just… find someone in their kingdom to marry Mark off to. And, well, I guess I was hoping he’d be able to fix Mirardot with them. That, of course, didn’t happen,” Maureen looked at me.  
I laughed. “Oops,” I said,  
Maureen smiled. “In you came, like a gust of wind. Mark would never have had the guts to just… straight up murder them. And I didn’t want to do it before I escaped, even if the thought crossed my mind. That was going to make queen,” she shrugged. “I guess I’m just glad it ended how it did,” she finished.  
I nodded. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt safe, until now. I grew up in a kingdom riddled with war, then got kidnapped to be married off… well, I guess there was actually a point where I did feel somewhat safe,” I paused, a memory coming back to me. “I had a fiancée. My parents were okay with me marrying a girl, but she had to be upper class. There was a party, and I liked one of the girls enough. Her name was Eva. So, she wasn’t really my first choice. But… I don’t know. I still loved her,” I paused.  
We sat in silence for a moment.  
“She’s dead, isn’t she?” Maureen said quietly.  
I nodded. “She was staying in the castle. We were… we were going to get married. Even with the war, well… my parents were confident we could win. They thought it was all going to be okay,” I sighed shakily.  
Maureen hugged me as I began crying. The memories I tried so hard to suppress were all flooding back.  
After a long while, Maureen let me go. “Is that what you wanted to talk about? Restoring Voathiel?” Maureen asked.  
I nodded. “I was hesitant to ask, I know you don’t like the idea of ruling, but… I want to do it alongside you,” I said, wiping my tears away.  
“I’ll do it. For you, and for everyone who needs a safe place to go,” Maureen smiled.  
“Thank you,” I smiled, pulling out my plans.  
“I don’t have much yet, but it’s a start,” I said, spreading the pages out.  
“Is that part of your plan?” Maureen grinned, pointing at the hearts I’d drawn. I didn’t realize I put Maureen’s name in the middle of all the hearts.  
“I… may have let my mind wander,” I said as I felt my cheeks get warm.  
Maureen laughed. “Well, the actual plans are a good start,” she said.  
“Another thought I had was moving your camp into Voathiel. The surviving citizens all fled here, I think, and anyone else would be welcome, of course,” I said.  
She nodded. “And I hope the return of Voathiel will knock some sense into the other kingdoms and villages. Anyone who wants to go home should be welcome there,” Maureen added.  
“And if they want a new home, Voathiel will be it,” I said.  
“It’ll take time, but we’ve got all the other resources for rebuilding. We’ve got more than enough wood and stone from the forest, there are lots of people who can build, cook, farm, and anything else we need them to do. And, well, there’s more than enough people to start rebuilding Voathiel’s population,” Maureen listed.  
“But… what about payment?” I asked.  
“Everyone here’s like a family. They’ll help because of that. And, a lot of it will benefit them, too. And we won’t be forcing them, if they don’t want too then they don’t have too,” Maureen replied.  
I nodded, tracing absent patterns on her hand. “I guess it won’t be that hard after all,” I smiled.  
“It won’t. And, if any of it is difficult, we can face it together,” Maureen smiled.  
“Yeah, we can,” I agreed, then continued. “And… well, I did love Eva, but like I said, she wasn’t my first choice. As cruel as it sounds, I’d choose you over her. But… I don’t know. She was still my fiancée. I…” I stopped, not knowing how to put it into words.  
“We can take it slow. I get it. And hey, I still don’t think I’m completely ready for a relationship either,” Maureen comforted me.  
I nodded, smiling. “We’re just… partners in crime for now,” I said.  
Maureen laughed. “As long as the crime is gay,” she added.  
“Always,” I grinned, turning to kiss her.  
She grinned, pulling me into her lap. I curled up, resting my head against her chest. She wrapped me into a hug. It really did feel safe there.  
Mark’s POV  
When Maureen and Joanne left, Roger and I were alone with our new friends. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to trust so easily, but anyone who Maureen had let into her camp was trustworthy enough. No suspicious person could get past her.  
“C’mon, we can go talk by the fire,” Angel led us over to the campfire, which we sat around.  
“Okay, now tell us everything,” Mimi said, leaning on her elbows.  
“About what?” I asked.  
“The murder!” she said excitedly.  
“Of course. Joanne would probably tell it better, but she has other ideas,” Roger replied.  
“Hey, I was there too,” I said.  
“Joanne was ready to stab them herself,” Roger responded.  
“I think she’s ready to stab anyone herself,” I pointed out.  
“Wow, her and Maureen are perfect for each other,” Collins joined in.  
“Yeah, Maureen wanted to stab them as well when I mentioned their threats of beheading me,” Roger said.  
“What?” Angel asked.  
“I’m- was? I don’t know, I’m technically going to be a king when I marry Mark, but I’m a servant as well. They saw us all as tools, to be used until they want to dispose of us,” Roger shrugged. “They got me to be a spy on Mark and Joanne, but that backfired when I fell in love with Mark. Oh, and when Joanne tried to strangle me,” Roger continued to talk.  
Mimi’s eyes widened. “You see Angel, this is why I was tired of being a peasant. I want to have adventures like that!” she said.  
Roger laughed. “It certainly is an interesting life,” he said.  
“We murdered them by poisoning their salad with belladonna. It ended up being useful having a servant on our side,” I said, squeezing Roger’s hand.  
“I’m always ready to serve you,” Roger grinned.  
“Gross,” I replied.  
We continued talking with the three for a while, and it was actually really nice. All of our lives had been turned upside down in the past few days, so, once the conversation topic changed, it was nice having a normal conversation. A calm before the storm, I guess, considering I was going to have to be the king soon, and deal with all the royal duties that come along with it.  
Eventually, Maureen and Joanne returned.  
“Welcome back, lesbians,” Roger greeted them.  
“Shut up,” Joanne punched his arm playfully.  
Maureen sat next to me, and Joanne sat next to her.   
“I… I think I’m going to be a queen after all,” Maureen smiled a little, taking Joanne’s hand.  
“Really?” I looked at her.  
She nodded. “For Voathiel. I think that’s where I truly belong,” Maureen replied.  
“I wish I could go too, but someone’s gotta save Mirardot,” I said.  
“You can be an honourary Voathiel lesbian,” Joanne said.  
“I’m not a woman or a lesbian, but yes,” I laughed.  
“So you really are restoring Voathiel,” Mimi smiled.  
“Hell yeah we are,” Joanne grinned.  
“At least Mirardot and Voathiel will finally be allies again,” Maureen said.  
“Oh yeah, we were allies a really long time ago, weren’t we?” Roger asked.  
Maureen nodded. “And then history repeated itself… but we’re putting an end to that cycle,” she said.  
“If only our kingdoms would do the same,” Angel sighed, squeezing Collins’ hand.  
“Oh yeah, you two are…” Joanne looked between the two.  
“From opposing sides,” Collins nodded, finishing her sentence.  
“Well, maybe they’ll learn from us making up,” Maureen said. “Mirardot has been a storm cloud over Alilaseth for so long,” she finished.   
“They caused Rhelilith to go into poverty,” Mimi added.  
“Fuck. I really do have a lot to fix,” I sighed.  
“Hey, don’t rush yourself,” Collins told me. “There’s a lot to fix for just two people, and a lot that’s completely out of your hands. Take it one day at a time,” he said.  
I nodded. “Thank you,” I said.  
“And I’ll be here to make sure you don’t overwork yourself,” Roger added, squeezing my hand.

After talking for a while longer, we had to head back.   
“I wish you could come with us,” Joanne held both of Maureen’s hands in hers.  
“As do I. We’ll be together again soon,” Maureen kissed Joanne, who wrapped her arms around Maureen’s neck.  
“Until next time, Valire,” Maureen caressed her cheek.  
Joanne laughed softly, smiling. “Until next time,” she hugged Maureen.  
Once Joanne got on her horse, we were on our way.  
“What did Maureen call you back there?” Roger asked curiously.  
“It was a pet name in Ancient Voathiel. My dearest one,” Joanne explained, still smiling.  
“Of course,” Roger said.  
“We were forced to learn Ancient Mirardot growing up, but I guess Maureen had other plans,” I said.  
“I know a little bit of both Modern and Ancient Mirardot. Servants use Modern Mirardot to communicate sometimes, and both my parents speak Ancient Mirardot,” Roger said. “I… I even have some very faint memories of my dad singing an Ancient Mirardot lullaby to me when I was a baby. It’s probably only because my mom told me about it, but still,” he continued.  
“Awwwww, that’s sweet. And you’ll probably have your own baby to sing it to soon,” Joanne said.  
“Well, it isn’t my fault Mark can’t control his baby juice,” Roger replied.  
“And it isn’t my fault no one gave me a proper sex education as a kid,” I said.  
“And it is both your faults that you’re so horny you didn’t get a condom,” Joanne smirked.  
“Okay, fair enough,” Roger laughed.  
“You two are probably going to end up being the couple that has a bunch of kids unintentionally solely because you fuck so much,” she joked.  
“Yeah, I wouldn’t doubt it,” he said.  
I tuned the two out, thinking about what I wanted to do as king. Maureen was the one attending most of the classes, and though I did join her for some, it wasn’t going to be helpful. Considering how much of it was about murder and ruling with force and power, they weren’t good classes. I want to restore peace and love in Mirardot, for one. No more hate, and no more pointless murder. Justified murder, well, that kind of had to be allowed.   
I also want to help Joanne, of course, and fix the destruction that… the former rulers caused. Mirardot was going to be an ally to Voathiel, a true ally. And, thinking of what Mimi said, I was going to give Rhelilith more land back, and however much money can be spared. I’m going to try and get Eloiri and Galawia to make up. It’s a lot, but I’m going to try and do it.  
“Mark!” Roger’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.  
“Sorry, I got distracted,” I said.  
Roger laughed. “Well, we’re almost there, so maybe don’t crash your horse,” he told me.  
“I won’t, I won’t,” I looked down at Tormáil, my horse.  
Once we safely got our horses to the stables, we headed down to the servant’s quarters.   
“Wow, it’s so quiet down here…” Roger commented when we walked in.  
“It’s either because no one has to work anymore, or because everyone is hungover. Probably both,” Joanne said.  
“Considering how long last night’s party went on, you’re right,” Roger said, going over to the fridge.  
“Joanne, can you help me make lunch? I know Mark can’t,” he asked.  
“Rude… but true,” I climbed onto a counter, sitting and watching them.  
“Well, cooking is more of a man’s job, but I still know how,” she said.  
“What..?” Roger looked at her, confused.   
“Is that… not how other kingdoms work?” Joanne said.  
“No??” Roger set some ingredients on a different counter.  
“Weird,” she said, beginning to help.

Later on, we were sitting in the smaller dining room and eating lunch.  
“I think I’m going to switch to being a vegetarian,” I said, looking at my salad.  
Joanne nodded. “Me too,” she agreed.  
“...I respect both of you but I love meat,” Roger said.  
I laughed. “Gay,” I teased him, taking a bite of my salad.  
“Only for you,” Roger leaned over, kissing my forehead.  
I smiled. “Meat is a big part of Mirardot diets, but I guess that’s going to change now,” I said.  
“Well, we did murder the former leaders with salad, maybe that should be the food of Mirardot now,” Joanne added, a thoughtful expression on her face.  
“Murder salad,” Roger joked.  
“Yes,” Joanne said, smiling.  
After a moment, Roger spoke again. “You know, we should go to the library after we eat,” he said.  
“We should go through the forbidden books and make them… not forbidden,” Joanne said.  
Roger nodded. “And there’s a lot of information we can find in there,” he replied.  
Him and Joanne spoke for a while more, but I zoned out, lost in my own thoughts.

Roger’s POV  
“So… what are we here for exactly?” Mark asked me.   
“Well, at first Joanne and I just wanted to sort through the forbidden books, because fuck that, and find all the propoganda and mark it as that. But… I don’t know, we might find something else in here. Joanne and I were here a while ago and found some pretty interesting stuff, in the forbidden section, of course,” I replied.  
“This library is hundreds of years old. And what did you find?” Mark asked, pushing open the doors.  
“Well, Joanne mostly just rambled about Maureen, but I found a book on trans rights in Mirardot, and Mirardot was actually super accepting a long ass time ago? I don’t know why it changed,” I said.  
“Look, I can’t be helpful all the time,” Joanne said.  
“Wait… how was violent Mirardot once accepting?” Mark questioned.  
I shrugged, letting go of his hand to start pulling books out of the forbidden section. Mark and Joanne followed.  
“I… I want to see if there’s any books on Voathiel,” Joanne paused. “Our library was destroyed, so I just want to see if there’s anything that survived,” she exhaled.  
I nodded. “There’s probably something. I think Mirardot and Voathiel were even allies, long ago,” I said.  
“Let’s split up. The forbidden section is really big at this point, so there’s plenty to look through,” Mark directed.  
“What would you know about being really big?” I smirked.  
Mark sighed exasperatedly as I laughed.  
“I’m going to go look anywhere where there aren't dick jokes,” Joanne walked along the wall, done with our immaturity.  
I started looking where I found the trans book, finding it quickly. I also found a few other books that looked interesting, taking them off the shelves as well.  
We regrouped a while later, showing each other our findings in the little reading nook in the middle of the library.  
“I actually found some positive books on Voathiel. They’re really old, but positive,” Joanne set her books on the table, sitting in an armchair.  
“I found some interesting books about Mirardot. They’re… pretty recent, actually. I’m a little scared of what could be in them,” Mark eyed the stack of books as he set them on the table, then went to sit on a couch.  
“I’ve got the queerest books I could find,” I dropped the books on the table and grinned, sitting next to Mark.   
“Let’s start with Mark’s books first. They’re recent, meaning they might have information that’s important now,” Joanne suggested.  
Mark nodded, picking up the stack. “This one has an unedited family tree,” he said.  
“Wait, why is that ‘forbidden’?” I asked.  
“In case anyone isn’t from Mirardot. I mean, it’s kind of inevitable that the bloodline isn’t fully Mirardot, but people like my parents wouldn’t let anyone know that,” he explained.  
I nodded as Mark opened the book. He flipped through it, mumbling to himself.  
We waited, watching as he went through it.  
“...Oh,” Mark said quietly as he reached the end of the book. A million emotions crossed his face.  
“What? What is it?” I looked down at the book. The page was a tree with the most recent family. Mark’s grandparents, parents, Mark, who I assumed was Maureen, and… a third kid.  
“Wait… Who’s Mazelina?” I looked up at the sound of Joanne’s voice. She had come to join us, leaning on the arm of the couch.  
Mark bit his lip, and I felt his hands shaking.

Third Person POV (Written by Felix)  
Queen Mallory became pregnant once again. After all, they needed another heir in case anything happened to Mark. This time, giving birth to a baby girl. The king was disappointed. But he accepted little Princess Mazelina for now, since his older son would still become king in three years. 

Mark had tried to come out. Queen Mallory and King Mark still did not accept queers, and they let him know that. "If you liked men," King Mark threatened, "then we would have a fag in the family."   
Crown Prince Mark looked down. Slowly, he looked back up, his face entirely blank. "Yes, Father," he answered.   
Queen Mallory was the one who put the idea for punishment in her husband's head. She knew how close her son was with his little sister. And the king did not take much convincing.   
They held the sacrifice a week later. Saying it was so the gods would bless them with good crops that year. Little Mazelina's life was cut short at just 6 months of age, and she was not buried. Mark had protested the ceremony at first, screaming and crying, despite how unbecoming it was. But Queen Mallory smiled cruelly when she saw her son the next day, seemingly forgetting the whole ordeal, and all emotion gone from his face. Good. Now he could focus on ruling.   
Queen Mallory did not realize that her son would only rule once he had killed her. 

Roger’s POV  
We all stared at Mark after he finished telling us what happened.   
“They… they fucking killed their own baby?” Joanne’s hand was on her dagger again.  
Mark nodded. “And it was my fault,” he buried his face in my side.   
“No, no it wasn’t your fault. It was theirs,” I told him, wrapping my arms around him.  
“Fuck. I’m so sorry,” Joanne put her hand on Mark’s shoulder.  
“I just… I can’t believe I forgot everything that happened. And now… it’s all coming back,” Mark said.  
“Trauma makes you forget things. Your brain was just trying to protect you,” Joanne said, most likely speaking from experience.  
Mark nodded, lifting his head up. “We need to keep going. I… I don’t want to leave anything uncovered,” Mark picked up the discarded book.  
“Only if you’re up for it. We can continue later,” I took his hand.  
Mark paused for a moment, staring at the book. “No. No, I can do this,” he closed the book. “Let’s move onto the next one,” he said.  
“It looks like a book of stories, of how some of the royal family members came to Mirardot,” Joanne had picked up the next book, examining it.  
“Mirardot royalty is so conceited that they often get people to write down events that’ve happened,” Mark explained.  
“But… this one’s in the forbidden section,” Joanne handed the book to Mark.  
“It’s a more recent one, so it… it could have to do with Maureen,” he said.  
“That would make sense, sadly,” I sighed.  
Mark opened the book cautiously, flipping through it. “Wait… that’s my mom’s name,” he stopped flipping, reading the page.

Third Person POV (Written by Felix)  
20 Years Ago   
Galawia

King Mark XII rode home with his guards and the prisoner in the carriage. A girl, years younger than him, who was somewhat pretty but not quite pretty enough. He studied her and she gazed at him with silent defiance.   
She appeared to be an outcast from the wizard kingdom for not having powers. At least, that's how King Mark saw it, so brainwashed was he by the warrior culture of Mirardot. The girl herself knew it was because she was unpleasant, mean, and had what the wizards called outdated opinions. They had held on to her as long as they could, but she had gone too far. They were forced to kick her out.   
"What a pretty thing you are," King Mark commented. She frowned. "And you look as if you'll fit right in as my wife. Could it be possible that you have Mirardot blood?"   
"Yes," she said, the first thing she had spoken since being kidnapped from her exile in Galawia and handcuffed. "My parents ran to that wretched kingdom. I killed them."   
The king bared his teeth. "Wonderful. You will be perfect. We wed tomorrow."   
Mallory, the girl, did not say anything as they headed back to Mirardot.

Their first year of marriage was filled with strife. Queen Mallory's pregnancy was not the smoothest, but she managed to give birth to a baby boy, nearly dying in childbirth. The king did not care. He was only happy to have a male heir.   
Three years later, the queen was pregnant again. She had stopped in the library to make sure the newer books that had been banned were placed in the forbidden section. King Mark was dealing with politics. Women were not allowed in the meeting, not even the queen.   
"And what is this?" Queen Mallory asked the librarian icily, referring to a book whose letters had faded.   
"A list of forbidden nobles, your Majesty," the timid librarian answered. "You may look at it." Queen Mallory nodded and opened the book with her long fingernails.   
Inside were a list of last names, all which had once belonged to noble families but had been forbidden from nobility for one reason or another.   
Abellas - died out.  
Cassals - deserted Mirardot for Voathiel.   
Davises - reason unknown. Demoted to servanthood permanently.   
"How intriguing," Queen Mallory commented without emotion. She handed the book back. "Place it with the rest - oh!" She fell to the floor, clutching her stomach.   
"Your Majesty!" The librarian rushed to her aid.   
Twenty hours later, a second son was born. Mark. The king was overjoyed at another son. 

Years later, there was a darkness. Mallory's first child - now 18 - had revealed herself as a woman, though neither king nor queen accepted it and kicked her out.   
That night at dinner the royal family was eating in silence. "Mark," the elder Mark said sharply, addressing his son. Mark, startled, looked up and dropped his spoon in his soup. "You are now the Crown Prince. You are behind in learning to rule the country. You must get on that."   
"Y-yes, Dad," Mark answered, looking down at his food. 

Roger’s POV  
“That would mean… I’m part Galawian,” Mark stared at the page.  
“We should talk to Angel next time we’re at camp. She’ll know more about that,” Joanne told Mark, but I was only half listening.  
“Davises - reason unknown. Demoted to servanthood permanently.” I read that line out loud.  
Mark and Joanne looked at me. “...Your last name is Davis,” Joanne whispered.  
I just nodded, staring at the book.  
Joanne glanced at the table, picking up a book. “The book that was mentioned... The list of forbidden nobles,” she handed it to me. “It was in the Voathiel section,” she said.  
I opened it, turning the pages quickly. After the list was an explanation of each family, and the reason, if it was known.  
“The Davises were a defiant group, not agreeing with Mirardot’s great leaders… eventually, they spoke out one too many times, and were demoted to servanthood. Permanently,” I read out parts of the page.  
“My dad didn’t have to die… and my mom… she didn’t have to- to suffer,” I said shakily, memories of my childhood flashing through my head. Every single one including my mom’s struggles, to raise me, to do her job, to live.  
I threw the book down, curling up against Mark. He hugged me, rubbing my back gently.  
I just… processed the information for a few moments, everyone else silent. It was just a lot to unpack.  
I sighed. “I guess the past is in the past, there’s no changing what happened now,” I said.  
Joanne nodded. “There’s only so much you can do. And hey, speaking against the awful views of this kingdom is a good way to get demoted,” she said.  
I nodded, sitting up a little.  
“Fuck, maybe we should stop. We’ve learned so much,” Mark said.  
“Yeah, we can keep going later. This is enough for today,” Joanne agreed.  
“How did they keep so much hidden? Did no one think to go through these earlier?” I said.  
“If this was a public library it would’ve been easier. There aren’t many people in this castle brave enough to defy,” Mark replied.  
I just nodded. There was so much to say and yet… I couldn’t put it into words.  
Mark took my hand. “It’ll be okay,” he told me.  
I nodded again.  
“The sun is setting. Let’s just… get out of here for now,” Joanne said.  
“Yes please,” I said.  
We went back to our rooms, done being productive for today. I couldn’t stop thinking about the book. So much could’ve been different. Of course royalty isn’t superior to servants, we’re all human, but fuck. Being royalty is a hell of a lot easier than being a servant.  
Mark wrapped his arms around me. I froze for a second, then accepted the comforting gesture. I rested my head on Mark’s side, breathing in his familiar, comforting, scent.  
“I’m sorry… you’re probably dealing with a lot too,” I said.  
“No no, it’s… well, I am, but I already went through this once. It’s… not a total surprise to me. I forgot it, but the trauma still stuck with me. And it’s just one of the many awful things my p- they, they did. This is like… an entirely new thing for you, and it came as a surprise. So… you can worry about me if you want, but this isn’t new for me. I’m used to it,” Mark rambled.   
“Yeah, I guess that’s true. But I’m always going to worry about you, you nerd,” I reached up to kiss him.  
Mark laughed against my lips. “And I’ll always worry about you, too. We’ve… both been through a lot,” he said after pulling away.  
I nodded. “But we’re going to make sure no other kids go through the same thing,” I rested my head against him again.  
“Of course. It’s going to take a lot of effort, but it’s going to be so worth it,” Mark replied.  
“Yes it is. We need to figure out better housing for the servants. Are there any vacant houses? We could build new ones. Or find more room in the castle,” I said my thoughts aloud.  
“We can make more room in the castle for the ones who want to stay, and find or build houses for the ones who don’t, but tomorrow. Enough has happened today,” Mark drew soft circles on my hand with his thumb.  
“Yeah, that sounds good,” I closed my eyes, trying to ignore my thoughts for a second.   
After a few moments of peaceful silence, Mark spoke up.  
“When I want to distract myself, I usually go on a walk and film things… Do you want to go and do that with me?” Mark asked.  
I couldn’t help but smile. “Are you asking me on a date?” I said.  
“If it soothes your ego, then sure,” he ruffled my hair.  
“But that actually sounds really nice, even if I have no idea how a camera works,” I sat up a little bit.  
“I’ll explain it while we walk. It’s dark out now, but the street lanterns will be lit up, so we should be fine,” Mark got up, going to get his camera.  
I nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed and just watching him. Mark was humming to himself and fiddling with his camera. It was a simple action, but so fascinating to him. This is the man I love more than life itself, the man I want to spend the rest of my life with. The man I love with all my heart. The man I would marry someday. Love… a beautiful, fascinating thing.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wow a lot happens in this chapter also it's over 6k words and 12 pages so good luck

Roger’s POV  
“Hey Joanne, Rog and I are going out,” Mark poked his head into Joanne’s room.   
“I know, you two are gay,” she replied.  
“No- I mean we’re going outside,” Mark said.  
I heard Joanne laughing to herself. “Yes yes. Be safe,” she said, this time more serious.  
“We will be!” he said in reply, closing her door.  
I reached for his hand when we began walking, staring into his eyes. He put his contacts in, and I could really see how piercingly blue they are.  
“What are you staring at?” he asked, laughing softly.  
“Your eyes… they’re just so blue. And I’ve never heard of contacts before, so that’s just… new to me,” I tucked a stray hair behind my ear, looking down.  
Mark smiled shyly. “Thanks. I… contacts were invented by Mirardot recently since glasses are viewed as ugly. My… dad, he hated when I wore my glasses. I guess that was a small act of defiance, wearing my glasses,” Mark swung my arm gently while we walked.  
“Well, that’s stupid. You’re beautiful with or without glasses. And I’ve always loved your eyes, they’re just… really noticeable now,” I looked up again, blushing a little.  
Mark laughed happily, grinning. “You know, your eyes are beautiful too, especially in the sun. Brown eyes look almost golden, it’s so pretty,” Mark said.  
“Yeah, but yours are better. It looks like the ocean is in your eyes and I could swim in them all day,” I said.  
“Okay but have you considered that when you're determined, your eyes reflect that and turn into a deep rich brown, and then when you’re sad they’re a soft chocolatey brown, and then when you’re seductive they’re dark and passionate,” Mark rambled.  
“Okay but have you considered that I love you a lot?” I grinned. I didn’t know Mark could be so poetic.  
“Do you? Prove it,” Mark grinned cockily.  
Taking that as a challenge, I suddenly pushed him against a wall, kissing him passionately.  
Mark wrapped his arms around my neck, breathing heavily. “Point taken,” he said, breathless.  
I laughed a little, planting my hands on either side of his head and enjoying the view.  
Mark stared up at me, and I smiled. I’m not one to date people based on looks, and I certainly wasn’t dating Mark because of that, but now that I am dating him… well, I couldn’t help but notice how attractive he is. Not only his eyes, but… well, everything. From his long eyelashes, to his beautiful kissable lips, to his barely visible eyebrows, everything was beautiful.  
“What are you staring at now?” Mark said slyly. I think he knows.  
I laughed a little. “Just about how attractive you are. I guess my weakness is cute nerds with translucent eyebrows now,” I lifted my hands off the wall, offering a hand to Mark.  
“Hey, it isn’t my fault,” Mark laughed, taking my hand.  
I smiled, and we started walking again.  
“So… try and explain cameras to me. I’m too much of a servant for them,” I said.  
“Well, it is relatively new technology, so a lot of people don’t know about them, regardless of status. But basically,” Mark paused to take out his camera. “The lens is made of glass, and it redirects the light into a single point to take an image, or a still shot of the thing you’re taking a picture of,” he said, referring to the camera.  
I nodded, not completely understanding, but it made some sort of sense. “And what about videos?” I asked.  
“Well, videos are just a series of images. And they’re recorded onto a film, which then plays the images really quickly to make them move,” Mark continued.  
I nodded. “I don’t totally get it, but if it works, then it’s probably a lot more convenient. People wouldn’t need to rely on paintings as much anymore,” I said.  
“Yeah, exactly. And it’s a lot more accurate, since it’s recording exactly what you look like. But I doubt they’ll be super popular for our generation, but for our kids, or maybe their kids, they should be more mainstream,” Mark replied.  
“Let’s just hope those kids won’t come soon,” I laughed.  
Mark nodded in response. It really hadn’t hit me yet that… well, I’m dating the prince. I’m going to be royalty soon. Our kids are going to be royalty… it all happened so fast.  
“Are… are you worried about our kids being royalty?” Mark looked at me.  
“I guess I am. I’m glad, it’s a much better life than being a servant, but it’s a lot of pressure for a kid. I guess you know that, though,” I responded, pushing open a side door. We’d finally made it through the long hallways to get outside.  
Mark gave a short laugh. “Yeah. But that was mostly the stupid classes they put Maureen and I through. Our kids won’t suffer through those,” he said.  
“Of course. And we’ll probably end up having more than two-” I stopped. “Three? Well… we’ll most likely have more than that,” I said.  
“Yeah… and we’ll treat them right,” I felt his hand tense up.  
“I’m sorry,” I rubbed his hand gently with my thumb.  
“It’s not your fault. I just… fuck. All of the memories are coming back now. They didn’t feel bad about murdering Mazelina, and they… they didn’t even bury her. We can’t even visit her grave,” Mark bit his lip.  
“It’s so fucked up. She was so young…” I sighed. “I don’t know. We just need to make sure no more kids suffer like she did, and like you and Maureen did,” I said.  
Mark nodded. “I just hope I’m a good enough dad,” he whispered.  
“Hey, if you’re this good of a person despite being the prince of current Mirardot, then of course you’ll be a good dad. And you know, you can never really prepare for being a parent. So we’ll learn together,” I tried to comfort him.  
“Yeah… yeah, okay,” he smiled a bit. “I love you,” he said.  
I grinned. “I love you too,” I stopped walking to pull Mark into my arms.  
Mark leaned into the hug, kissing me softly. It was comforting. Even though we’re outside where everyone could see us, it felt like Mark was the only person there, the only person I needed.  
I let him go after a long moment, but grabbed his hand again. I looked around. We’d made it out of the royal grounds by now, and into the town. I’ve only been out of the royal grounds a few times in my life, to run errands with my mom. It was pretty new to me.  
“What do you usually film?” I asked Mark.  
“Just… anything that looks interesting, I guess. I don’t really have a plan for my footage yet, so it’s nothing coherent yet,” he said.  
“That’s fair, and it is practice. I haven’t written any real songs yet, only a few lyrics,” I said.  
“You need to show me, I wanna hear them,” Mark told me.  
“It’s hard to find time to make music when you’re murdering someone,” I laughed.  
Mark laughed. “Fair enough,” he ran over to film something.  
I smiled, leaning on a fence and watching him. I don’t know what he’s filming, but if it’s interesting to him then it doesn’t matter what I think.  
After a few minutes, Mark came back over to me. “C’mon, let’s keep walking. The town will be less crowded now, since it’s nighttime,” Mark took my hand again.  
“That’s definitely a good thing after what happened yesterday,” I replied as we began walking again.  
“That, and less people,” Mark said.  
“Of course,” I replied, swinging his arm gently.  
After a moment of walking, I noticed the moon. “Woah, look how pretty the moon is!” I let go of Mark’s hand to jog over to another fence. I leaned over it, looking at the sky. It was the first full moon I’d seen in a long time, and the stars looked beautiful.  
I turned around a few moments later to call Mark over. “Hey love, come see-” I noticed him filming me.  
“Sorry! You just looked so-” Mark lowered his camera as I interrupted him.  
“No no! It’s okay. I’m flattered just… surprised,” I smiled softly.  
Mark smiled. “You were just so eager and I thought it was cute,” he explained, coming over to join me.  
He leaned against the fence with me, and I rested my head against him, taking his hand.   
“I love you,” I said.   
“I love you, too,” Mark smiled, looking at me.  
I lifted my head, looking into his eyes. I was so in love. Maybe Mark wasn’t the definition of perfect, but to me, he is. He’s the one I want to be with forever.  
Mark kissed me gently. Even if we’d kissed hundreds of times by now, it felt just like the first. Passion, love, fireworks. Everything amazing.  
Even though we were out for a few more hours that night, that moment was my favourite. Staring at the moon together seemed like nothing special, but it was when Mark was there. He made it special. He makes life special.

Time passed. A series of trips to the camp. Making arrangements for the servants, and other people living in the castle, like the guards, and concubines, one of which we saved from murder inadvertently. The former king really was evil. Various other royal duties, like meeting with other kingdoms and making or getting rid of laws. Cleaning up the mess that the murdered rulers made. So much happened that… I forgot about the night Mark and I had, and the… forgotten condoms. Two weeks later, I didn’t think much of the nausea or dizziness, I just assumed it was stress. I also assumed the missed period was from stress. That… was probably when I should’ve realized. The only person I knew who would know what to do was my mom. So that’s who I went to.

Written by Felix  
Roger’s POV  
I slid out of bed after I woke up one morning, feeling...odd. I stood up, and nearly fell over. I was so nauseous. I ran to grab a pot and threw up in it. Gross, I thought.  
Wait.   
My eyes grew wide and I ran down the stairs to my mom. I knocked on the door, calling “Mom?”   
Sybil opened it, smiling tiredly. “Hello, Roger,” she said.   
“Mom, um-“ I tried to catch my breath from running down the flights of the stairs. We had moved my mom up from her previous quarters, but there was still a ways to go. “...I just threw up. And, uh, I haven’t had my period in a few days and I think-“   
My mom’s eyes widened. “Oh, my.” She opened her door wider. “Come in.”   
I came in and sat on the bed, next to my mom. It was so much more comfortable than the one I grew up sleeping in. It reminded me why I didn’t want to have children before. But now… This bed was much more like Mark’s. The king. I was dating the king.   
“Mom, uh - I don’t want to guess anything but...my period is late and I just threw up....what’s happening to me?” I had already guessed, but I wanted my mom to reassure me.   
She hugged me tightly. “Oh, Roger,” she said in that loving mom voice. “I think you’re pregnant.”   
I looked up at my mom, frowning. “Really?” I asked. “I don’t-I don’t know what to do, I’m only 18-“   
She hugged him tighter. “I know,” she said. “I know it’s scary. Or...terrifying. I had you when I was 15, and then your father died. But it’s okay. We got through it.” She squeezed my hand. “I can help you through this. And you have Mark, and your other friends too...though I don’t know all of them.” She gave me a pointed look and I blushed, looking down.   
“I’m gonna be king soon,” I said, more to myself. I hadn’t yet realized her saying that she had me when she was 15. Reality hadn’t sunk in yet. “I don’t...I don’t know what to do. The baby will be royalty. Mom-“   
“And you’ll be a wonderful dad.” Mom kissed my head and smiled. “Go see Mark. Talk to him. He can help you through this.”  
I stood up. “Mom, you know he’s only 17, right?”   
“You can help each other,” She amended. “Go. Be with your boyfriend.”   
“Okay. Thanks, Mom.” I grinned shakily and left, walking back up the stairs to talk to Mark.

Written by Not Felix  
“Wait… how can you know?” Mark asked when I told him. Fuck. I’m pregnant.  
“Mark, I threw up this morning. I’ve felt nauseous and dizzy and tired all week. And I missed my period,” I said everything quickly.  
After a moment, Mark replied. “What’s a period?” he asked, a look of confusion on his face.  
“Look, I know you just woke up, but you should know this,” I said.  
Mark said nothing, staring at me.  
“Oh my god. Mark, just… just trust me. And you know what happened two weeks ago, that should be enough,” I told my idiot boyfriend.  
“Oh yeah! So… you really are pregnant?” Mark sat up a little.  
“Yes, I am,” I rested my head against his headboard, closing my eyes and rubbing my forehead. There’s a baby inside me.   
Mark rested his head against my side, and I wrapped an arm around him. Despite him being unhelpful in knowledge, his presence was enough to comfort me.   
“I heard voices, are you two awake?” Joanne poked her head in.  
“Yeah…” I bit my lip.   
“What happened?” Joanne pushed the door open, recognizing the expression on my face.  
“I missed my period. I talked to my mom and…”   
“You’re pregnant.” Joanne finished my sentence, sitting on the edge of the bed.  
“Yeah. Thank you for instantly understanding,” I glanced down at Mark, still curled against my side.  
“Oh my god Mark, you cis man,” Joanne said.  
“How am I supposed to know this?” he asked.  
“You and your baby juice caused this,” she replied.  
“Okay, true,” Mark blinked.  
“Fuck. I’m… not even technically an adult yet, considering the fact that my birthday’s in November,” I sighed.  
“Yeah. And I’m barely seventeen…” Mark added. His birthday had been a few days ago. If only we used a condom like we did then.  
“You’re both young, but hey, you have nine months to prepare at least. And you’re ruling an entire kingdom together, so a baby can’t be any harder than that,” Joanne said.  
“True. I just… I guess it really hasn’t registered for me yet,” I traced absent lines on Mark’s hands.  
“That’s to be expected, I think,” Joanne replied.  
“We could do something today, pretend everything’s normal for a while,” Mark suggested.  
“That sounds really nice,” I smiled a little.  
“We could go over to the camp. We haven’t been in a while,” Joanne said.  
“It’s been… four days,” I pointed out.  
“Yes. Too long,” Joanne looked at me.  
“Lesbian,” I smirked.  
“At least I didn’t let my lover get me pregnant,” She teased.  
“Hey!” I exclaimed.  
Joanne laughed. “So, are we going or not?” she asked.  
“I think we should,” Mark chimed in.  
“Well, you two need to get dressed, so I’m leaving,” Joanne started getting up. She had… modified more dresses, and was wearing one of those now.  
“I’m going to need maternity clothes eventually, aren’t I? And we need to get a nursery, and everything else for a baby…” I said my thoughts aloud as I walked over to the closet.  
“Hey, we have a lot of time to prepare. And the castle has a nursery already, so you won’t need to worry about that,” Mark reassured me.  
I nodded. “Yeah, you’re right,” I took a breath. “Have I told you I love you recently?” I took out some clothes.  
Mark laughed softly. “Yes, but I like hearing it,” he smiled.  
“Well, I love you,” I walked over to him, placing a gentle kiss on his lips.  
“You’re so distracting,” Mark grinned, his arms around my neck.  
“I like it that way,” I told him.  
“Me too,” Mark kissed me again.

Joanne’s POV  
After leaving Mark and Roger’s room, I went back to my plans for Voathiel, specifically the castle we planned on building. My vanity was less of a vanity and more of a mess of plans at this point. Maureen and I have been planning things whenever we went to the camp, and as much as I love Mark and Roger, I’m more than ready to be in my own kingdom.  
I haven’t been back to… what used to be Voathiel yet, but a few volunteers from Maureen’s camp have. They’ve begun cleaning everything that’s left, and transporting materials over. The plan is to get a few houses built, and move all the surviving Voathiel citizens in. After that, it’s just adding on. More citizens, former people of Voathiel or not, and becoming a kingdom once more. And of course, we are planning on rebuilding the castle, but that’ll take a few years. Until then, Maureen and I would live in one of the houses. Maybe not the most traditionally royal thing, but we would still be queens, castle or not.  
I stared at the paper, trying to think of the old castle. It doesn’t need to look the same, but… I still want some similarities. It only feels right. I tried to picture the ballroom, where my parent’s thrones were, where there were often big parties. Even with the war, life went on. Sure, there were always more guards around the castle, always a lot of security, but it was normal to me. Everything surrounding the war was, I guess. I thought of a memory… a few years before Voathiel was destroyed. My parents held a ball with some of my suitors. I was only fifteen, but I’d have to be married in the next three years, so it was preparation for that. My parents were okay with me being a lesbian, most people in Voathiel are, but they wouldn’t let me marry a commoner. I guess that was to be expected, being a princess, but I don’t know. Look at Roger, he’s doing a good job. Regardless… that’s where I met Eva. We danced together. It’s still a happy memory of mine.

Written by Felix  
A Few Years Before The Destruction of Voathiel  
Joanne’s POV  
I sat in my throne, surveying the ballroom. My parents had thrown this ball to find me potential suitors. They had always been okay with me being gay, and knowing that I would be queen someday, they needed to marry me off.   
My mother leaned down to ask me something. “Do you like any of the young ladies here?” She said quietly, a smile dancing across her lips. Even in wartime we found space to be happy.   
“Oh, uh...” I surveyed the ballroom. All the ladies looked gorgeous to me. “I don’t know. Maybe.”  
“Remember, you can marry any noble lady you want,” my father said.   
“Or commoner!” I piped up. My parents glanced at each other.   
“Any noble lady,” my mother said. I nodded, a little disappointed. I had always looked up to my mother. She had projected such an image of strength as Voathiel’s queen, and she was always so beautiful. Tonight was no difference, the light from the chandelier reflecting off her dark skin. I only wished the ladies saw me as beautiful as her.  
A few came up and met us. Some officially announced their suitoring. It was...pretty nice, actually. I would have loved to marry any of them.   
I even got to dance with one.

Written by Not Felix  
Joanne’s POV  
I glanced out the window. “I hope you’re safe, Eva. Wherever you are…” I whispered.  
I pushed my chair back, standing up. I hadn’t made any progress, but that was okay. I have time.  
I went to check on Mark and Roger. It’s been a while, so they should be dressed by now, unless they got… distracted.   
“Are you two naked?” I called out, knocking on the door lightly.  
“Not this time!” Roger said.  
“Gross,” I said, opening the door.  
“Mark only distracted me with his lips,” Roger grinned.  
“Of course,” I shook my head, leaning on the wall.  
“Are we ready to go?” Mark asked, running a hand through his hair in the mirror.  
“Yeah,” I replied, looking over Roger.  
“What are you looking at?” Roger asked me.  
“I’m just noticing how your clothes don’t match, at all,” I remarked.  
“I’m a servant, give me a break!” Roger exclaimed.  
“It’s been over two weeks,” I laughed.  
“At least I didn’t use a dagger on my clothes,” Roger smirked.  
“Hey, my dagger improved them!” I said.  
“Let’s just agree I’m the best dressed and go,” Mark grinned cheekily, walking over to Roger and I.  
“Oh shush, prince boy,” I smiled, standing up straight. Well, not really straight, but you get the point.  
“I’m actually the king,” Mark joked with a snobby tone.  
“Not until the coronation,” I replied as we left Mark and Roger’s room.  
“Fine, fine,” Mark rolled his eyes, smiling.   
“Speaking of, that’s happening soon, right?” Roger asked.  
Mark nodded. “It should be in the next two weeks. Some of the royal council put together invitations that were sent out yesterday. Well, what’s left of the royal council… we may need to work on getting more staff,” Mark sighed.   
“Just work on one thing at a time. Coronation first, then work on the staff,” Roger comforted Mark, squeezing his hand gently.  
Mark nodded. “Of course. And the coronation should be a celebration, after all,” he responded.  
“I get to be declared as the official queen of Voathiel, so it’s definitely a celebration for me. I’m… technically a princess of Mirardot right now, I think. Though there was never a coronation for that, so I’m just… I don’t know, actually,” I blinked. That was a lot of words.  
“You’re Joanne, the queen of lesbians,” Roger said.  
I laughed. “Yes, thank you Roger,” I smiled.  
“I was going to say we should invite Maureen to the coronation, but… I don’t know if she’d want to come,” Mark spoke after a moment.  
“Yeah, and I don’t blame her,” I bit my lip. Maureen’s gone through so much, and she’s still one of the strongest people I know. God, I love her so much.  
“Well, it’s up to her,” Mark said.  
I just nodded, thinking.  
We made the rest of the trip in a comfortable silence, most likely lost in our own thoughts. Me with Maureen, Roger with the baby, Mark with his royal duties. It was hard to believe how much our lives had changed in such little time.  
When we got to the camp, I spotted Maureen instantly… and nearly fell off my horse in excitement while trying to get off. Maureen ran over to me, and I jumped into her arms, wrapping my legs around her waist. We kissed passionately.   
“I missed you,” I smiled, wrapping my arms around Maureen’s neck.  
She laughed softly. “I missed you more,” she replied, kissing me again.  
“Gay,” Mark said after getting off of his horse properly.  
“No you,” Maureen stuck her tongue out at him.  
I laughed as Maureen put me down.  
“So, what have you kids been up to lately?” Maureen asked.  
“Planning coronations, and… that’s about it,” I was going to say something, but that’s Roger’s business. And, as sad as it is, miscarriages can happen.  
“Oh yeah. Mark and Roger can finally be official kings,” Maureen said.  
“The gayest kings to ever rule Mirardot,” Roger grinned, kissing Mark’s cheek.  
Maureen laughed, smiling her beautiful smile. “Good,” she said.  
“And I get to be crowned as official queen of Voathiel,” I grinned.  
“Hell yeah!” Maureen exclaimed.  
After talking for a while longer, Maureen and I split up with Mark and Roger.   
“Do you want to know a secret?” Maureen asked me as we walked.  
I laughed a little. “Sure,” I swung her arm gently.  
“I love you,” she smiled.  
I grinned, looking at the ground. That was the first Maureen had ever said that. “I love you, too,” I replied, still smiling.  
We walked in a peaceful silence, and I felt butterflies in my stomach. I love this woman so much.  
When we reached our usual spot by the ocean, I turned to press a gentle kiss against Maureen’s lips. She smiled, pulling me impossibly closer. I wrapped my arms around her waist, my hands drifting.  
When we finally pulled away, I took Maureen’s hands in mine. “Can I ask you something?” I looked into her beautiful brown eyes.  
She smiled softly. “Of course,” Maureen said.  
I took a deep breath. “Will you be my girlfriend? Officially?” I asked her. It was blunt, but… I just want to make it official. I love Maureen so much.  
Maureen grinned. “Oh my god, yes!!” She exclaimed, hugging me.  
I laughed a little, burying myself in her arms. So glad she said yes.   
When she let me go after a few minutes, I looked up to see her crying.  
“No, why are you crying?” I wiped her tears away gently.  
“No no, they’re happy tears, I just… I love you. So much,” Maureen took a deep breath, sitting down.  
“I love you more,” I sat next to Maureen, tilting her chin up and kissing her forehead.  
After a moment, Maureen rested her head on my shoulder.   
“I’ve always thought I was unlovable,” Maureen started. “Even after coming out to myself as bisexual and being comfortable with it, I just… couldn't picture anyone dating me and being happy. Maybe it was not being loved by my own parents, maybe just the runaway life I live, maybe it’s the walls I’ve built around myself… I don’t know,” Maureen bit her lip, gazing into the water. “But… you really did fall in love with me. You don’t mind my goals, the life I live, you even knocked down my walls. I didn’t think it was possible,” Maureen finished.  
I nodded. “You’ve been through a lot, it’s reasonable to be scared. But I do love you. I love how determined you are, how caring and compassionate you are, how different you are… every part of you is amazing, even the bad parts. And we’ll take it as slow as you need too, don’t worry,” I squeezed her hand.  
Maureen smiled. “Thank you,” she wrapped an arm around me. “I really am happy, though. Girlfriend!!” Maureen said happily.  
I laughed happily. “Girlfriend!” I turned to kiss her.  
After another long moment of kissing, Maureen spoke. “Would you like to go tell everyone and be queer in front of them?” she asked.  
I laughed. “Of course,” I took her hand, helping her up.  
As we walked, I thought of a less happy question I kind of had to ask. “The coronation is probably happening soon, and… well, you don’t have to come, I know the castle might not be a good place for you to come back too, but if you want to, then-” I stopped when Maureen interrupted me. Wow, I sound like Mark.  
“Joanne, it’s okay. I… I think it’s been long enough since I left. I want to come. For you, and Mark and Roger,” Maureen said, biting her lip.  
I nodded. “Don’t feel like you have too. But… It would really be nice,” I said.   
“Yeah. I mean, they’re dead. It should be okay,” Maureen looked more confident than she sounded.  
“Hey, I’m here for you,” I squeezed her hand gently.  
“Thank you. I just… It’s been years, but I don’t know. There’s…” Maureen paused, stopping.  
I stopped walking as well, looking at her. “What is it?” I asked. She wouldn’t look me in the eyes.  
“They… they were going to kill me,” Maureen said, barely audible. She closed her eyes.  
“They… what?” I saw red. First Mazelina, but… Maureen.  
“I didn’t think it was going to be that bad. I… I was planning on leaving, but I thought they were just going to disown me. But, after coming out at dinner, he came to my room, and said… If I wasn’t out of there by morning, I’d be dead,” she sunk to the ground, beginning to cry.  
I sat down, hugging her tightly. I was so, so angry, and sad. “It’s not your fault,” I whispered, not knowing what else to say. I stroked her hair gently.  
“I haven’t told anyone,” Maureen said shakily. “I… I couldn’t. I felt guilty enough leaving Mark, he didn’t need to feel any of that guilt. I just…” Maureen trailed off.   
I nodded, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “It’s okay,” I said.  
Maureen took a breath. “When you said you were going to murder them, I just… I felt so happy. It felt wrong, they… were my parents, but fuck. They couldn’t be anymore. Not after that. So… I’m glad they’re dead. Really fucking glad,” she said.  
I nodded. “So am I,” I took one of her hands. “And I love you, no matter what,” I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.  
Maureen nodded. “Thank you. I love you too,” she took a deep breath. “I’m going to that coronation. I’m not going to let this stop me from being with who I love,” Maureen smiled.  
I smiled. “I’m proud of you,” I kissed her forehead gently.  
She laughed happily. “I don’t deserve you,” she wiped a last tear away.  
“You deserve the world,” I told her.  
“Maybe I do deserve you then, since you are my world,” she grinned.  
I laughed. “You’re adorable,” I smiled.  
Maureen smiled. “I think we should get back to the others,” she said.  
I nodded. “Probably…” I made no move to get up.  
Maureen kissed me, and I smiled against her lips. I held her waist, kissing her again.   
After a few more minutes of kissing, I stopped, breathless.   
“You’re beautiful,” Maureen stroked my cheek.  
I laughed. “You’re more beautiful,” I replied.  
“You think the others are concerned yet?” Maureen asked jokingly.  
“Roger might say we’re having sex, but that’s probably it,” I said.  
Maureen laughed. “Lovely,” she said.  
I took her hand again, standing up and helping Maureen up. We finished the walk in a comfortable silence, hand in hand.  
When we got to the campfire, Mark and Roger had found Mimi, Angel, and Collins.  
“Hey, you’re back!” Mark was the first to notice us.  
“Did you fuck?” Roger asked.  
“I knew you’d say that,” I glared at him jokingly.  
“But… we did make it official,” Maureen smiled, sitting next to Mark.  
“Congrats!” Angel said.  
I grinned, sitting next to Maureen. “Thank you. She’s my iralom,” I kissed Maureen’s cheek.  
Maureen laughed happily, leaning against me.  
“Is that Ancient Voathiel?” Collins asked.  
“Yeah, do you speak it?” My eyes lit up.  
“A little. I just… really like languages,” Collins smiled.  
“So do I,” I smiled. “I like having a language everyone can speak, but the culture is something I just love. And it’s romantic,” I said.  
“I learned Ancient Voathiel as an escape from my culture, and now I get to flirt in it,” Maureen added.  
“Maybe I should learn some Ancient Galawia then,” Collins grinned.  
Angel laughed. “I hardly know Ancient Galawia!” she said.  
“Did no one’s school have classes to take?” I asked, only partly joking.   
“I wish mine did,” Mimi joined in. “Rhelilith needs to focus on agriculture, so that’s most of our classes. If you can even attend classes in between work,” Mimi said.  
“I really need to give Rhelilith more money and land,” Mark sighed.  
“You don’t need to, but Mirardot did really fuck Rhelilith over,” Mimi replied.  
“Galawia’s kind of in the same boat with language classes. School’s focused on magic more than anything else, since kids with untrained magic can be dangerous. Especially kids who can do things without a wand,” Angel said.  
“I’m a servant who barely knows how to write in English!” Roger smiled.  
“I should know Ancient Mirardot, but I didn’t want to learn it. And I’m going to teach you how to write,” Mark said.  
“Thank you. And I do know some Ancient Mirardot, actually,” Roger said, his tone more serious now. “Also a bit of Modern Mirardot. It… was a lot easier for servants to speak in a language the nobles didn’t know,” he continued.  
“Yet another thing I need to fix,” Mark replied.  
“We, we need to fix,” Roger told his boyfriend.  
“Remember that you’re only two people,” Collins added. “You won’t be able to fix years of damage right away,” he finished.  
Mark nodded. “I just wish I could,” he sighed.  
“Hey, it won’t always be easy. You and Roger are running an entire kingdom on your own,” I said.  
“Especially after… well, everything,” Maureen said. “I think all of us have gone through a lot. You won’t be able to heal a hurting country if you’re still healing yourself,” she said.   
“And we’ll always be here for you. That’s what friends are for,” Mimi smiled.  
Mark took a deep breath. “You’re right. I’m… probably still going to worry about it, but you’re all still helpful,” he said.   
“And I can help in a different way,” Roger smirked.  
“Ew. I do not want to hear about my brother’s sex life,” Maureen wrinkled her nose in disgust. Even so, she still looked adorable.  
Roger laughed as Mark’s face went red.  
After that, the conversation topic changed. After a few moments of idle conversation, Mark brought up one of the things we found in the library.  
“So… we were looking in the library a while ago, and I found a book about… my mom. And she’s half Galawian, so…” Mark trailed off, looking at Angel.  
“Oh, you could both be part magic then. Though it usually shows up when you’re younger,” Angel started. “And, even if neither of you show magic signs, your kids could,” she continued.  
A look of recognition crossed Mark’s face. “So that explains a lot of my childhood,” he said.  
“Did you really just… ignore your magical abilities?” Angel asked.  
“One time a plate flew but I thought I’d just somehow thrown it extra hard,” he blinked.  
“Mark-” Angel replied.  
“I don’t think I’ve ever done any magic, but my childhood was full of royalty classes, so who knows honestly,” Maureen shrugged.  
Angel nodded. “I can teach Mark more, but I’m not sure about you. But if you ever have kids, either of you, there’s a chance they could be magic,” she said.  
Roger’s eyes widened at that, but he stopped himself after a second.  
“I’d rather not deal with magic anyway,” Maureen replied.  
“I’d be willing to learn, but maybe when I’m less busy,” Mark said.  
What would happen if one of us has magic kids?” I asked, knowing Maureen and I would probably have kids at some point. And for Roger, who was… possibly pregnant with magic kids. “You mentioned Galawia having classes, but what about Mirardot or Voathiel?” I said.  
“Well, I don’t think either kingdom used to have magic classes, but you could always hire some Galawians, or part Galawians, to teach kids. There’s a lot of magic kids outside of Galawia, so it would be really beneficial,” Angel advised.  
“I think we should both do that, then,” I glanced at Roger.  
“Well, Mirardot already needs sex education classes, so we’ll be adding two things now,” Roger grinned.  
“Rude,” Mark said.  
“Please tell me you’ve been using condoms,” Maureen looked at her brother.  
“We have! Roger and Joanne just… had to teach me why,” Mark said quickly.  
The conversation we’ll be having in a few months is going to be… interesting.  
“And Voathiel is going to have good, inclusive sex education, so we can prevent that,” I added.  
“Yeah, so is Mirardot,” Roger agreed.  
A couple of hours later, it was time to head back.  
“I don’t want to leave,” I sighed. Mark and Roger were already on their horses, I was just stalling.  
“I know, I don’t want you too either,” Maureen took my hands. “But I promise we’ll be together soon,” she rested her forehead against mine.  
“Of course,” I pressed a gentle kiss against her lips.  
After a long moment, Maureen pulled me in for a hug.  
“I love you,” I whispered.  
“I love you too, my kisu,” she said.  
I smiled at the Ancient Voathiel, kissing her forehead one last time. Maureen walked me to my horse, helping me up. We rode off into the daylight, while I glanced back at Maureen one last time. I love her. So much.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I divided a chapter in half because it was getting too long again, so here's an update!

Mimi’s POV  
After Mark, Roger, and Joanne left, I went on a walk. I loved talking to people, especially my newfound friends and the other Rhelilithians here, and of course Angel. But… sometimes it was nice to be alone. There was just… so much to think about. I still felt some guilt for leaving Rhelilith, leaving my family, even if I was happier here. And, though I’m very happy for everyone, it’s hard to not feel sad seeing everyone fall in love. I’m grateful for my friends, platonic love is beautiful, but… I still wanted a partner. It’s okay to be single, but I don’t know. I don’t want to be.  
I found myself staring into the ocean, lost in thought. After who knows how long… I heard singing, beautiful, angelic, singing. I walked along the coastline, following the gorgeous voice. After a few more moments of walking, I found the owner of the voice. She was… what looked like a mermaid with bird wings, perched on top of a rock. She’s beautiful, just a bit strange. Other than the wings and her tail, she looked human. She had shoulder length blonde hair, and deep green eyes.  
“W-who are you?” I asked.  
“I’m Avelina… Most humans are scared of me,” she told me.  
“Well, that's not nice. I’m Mimi. Your voice… it’s beautiful,” I smiled.  
“I’m part siren. And part harpy, the part that scares people,” she sighed. “I’m just glad I found a girl for once,” she smiled.  
I laughed. “Well, this girl thinks you’re beautiful, wings and all,” I told her.  
Avelina laughed softly. “Thank you,” she tucked a stray hair behind her ear.  
“Do… you live in the ocean?” I asked hesitantly, sitting on the rock next to her.  
“Yeah. There’s entire kingdoms down there. We… used to be close, all of the kingdoms were, but there were species wars. The mermaids didn’t see sirens as true mermaids, the hybrids were rejected by purebreds, the creatures who lived on land part of the time were seen as traitors,” Avelina sighed. “It’s messy. These were all recent wars, too. I’m only sixteen, and I’ve seen so much,” she fiddled with the bracelet on her wrist.  
I nodded. “There’s been wars up here, too. My village wasn’t affected directly, but… Mirardot, the biggest kingdom, took over a lot of our land, throwing us into poverty. They also took over a smaller kingdom, Voathiel. It was bad. But… well, my friend, Mark, is the son of Mirardot’s former rulers. He killed them, alongside the Voathiel heir, Joanne,” I smiled.  
“Woah. That’s awesome,” Avelina said.  
I nodded. “And he’s going to make Mirardot better now, with the help of his boyfriend. And, well, you’ve probably noticed, but this camp here was built by Mark’s sister Maureen. She ran away a few years ago, being the true heir to Mirardot. She’s trans, and… well, her parents didn’t like that,” I sighed. “This camp is full of runaways. I’m one of them,” I said.  
Avelina nodded. “War is stupid. Why can’t everyone just be accepting?” she replied.  
“It’d be a lot easier that way,” I agreed.  
“It’s always affected me, so I guess that’s why I’m so passionate about it. I’m part siren, so the mermaids don’t like me. I’m a hybrid, so the purebreds don’t like me. And I can go on land, so I’m also a traitor,” she gave a humourless laugh. “And no one really cares if you’re queer or not down there, but I guess they do up here. So I guess that’ll be a problem too,” she added.  
“It’s getting better, but yeah,” I sighed. “You’ll always be welcome in my friend group, though,” I offered. “Who do we have? Me, a pansexual, Angel, my genderfluid wizard friend, Mark, a queer man who rebelled against his kingdom alongside Roger, who’s a trans and bisexual servant, Angel’s boyfriend Collins, who’s trans and gay, Joanne, a lesbian who’s dating Maureen, a bisexual trans woman, and… I think that’s it,” I listed off.  
Avelina laughed. “Damn. You don’t have one straight friend,” she commented.  
“Nope,” I grinned.  
“I’m guessing status matters for you, too,” she said.  
I nodded. “Mark and Roger are definitely going to get some comments on Roger being a servant, and there was a smaller war between Eloiri, another kingdom, and the one wizard kingdom, Galawia,” I replied.  
“Wow… maybe our wars aren’t so stupid,” Avelina said.  
“Yeah, there’s so much pointless fighting,” I said.  
“At least pointless fighting can’t stop love,” she glanced at me.  
I laughed softly. “No, it can’t…” I looked down, feeling my cheeks heat up.  
“Maybe it was just me accidentally drawing in men and being a lesbian, but… well, I never thought I could be attractive. Everyone underwater thinks I’m strange, and no one up here has even stopped to talk. Maybe it’s my wings, maybe it’s the fact that I have gills, but… I don’t know. It’s amazing that you think I’m pretty,” Avelina rambled.  
“I think it’s cool that you can breathe air and water. And of course you’re beautiful, wings and all,” I looked at her face, noticing all of it. Her beautiful, expressive eyes, her lovely arched nose, her soft lips… all of it was gorgeous.  
We continued talking for a while, the subject changing to happier topics.  
“I just love making my own jewellery. It’s a little thing, but I don’t know. It makes me happy,” Avelina said, showing me her bracelet, which was made of delicate pearls.  
“My friend Angel loves sewing. You two would make a good team,” I smiled.  
Avelina laughed a little. “I guess we would. What about you? What do you like doing?” she asked.  
“I don’t really know yet, actually. There was never free time for me, I was always working in the garden. I’ve always liked helping Angel, though. I’m always modeling for her,” I replied.  
Avelina nodded, thinking. After a moment. “Do you ever think about what it’d be like to just… live an entirely different life? I know you ran away, but I mean like… well, for me, I’ve always thought about what it’d be like to be human. To not deal with all the stares and just… be normal, I guess,” she said.  
I nodded. “Yeah, I get it. I was always used to being poor, but… sometimes it’s nice to think about what it’d be like to be someone different. Someone like… well, like my friends. I get jealous of them, as stupid as it is. I mean, being royalty sounds difficult, but it still sounds fun. Sometimes I just… wish I could have a life like that,” I shrugged. Wow, I’ve never told anyone about that, not even Angel.  
“Exactly! It’s not like you’re unhappy with who you are, it’s just… wondering what life would be like in a different universe,” she summarized.  
I nodded, smiling. It was nice to feel understood.  
“Oh, the sun's setting!” Avelina exclaimed, turning toward the sky.  
I grinned. “It’s beautiful,” I replied.  
After a moment, she rested her head on my shoulder. A simple gesture, but it made my heart light up.  
I reached for her hand, holding it gently. We stayed like that, watching the sunset in a peaceful silence. Together.

Joanne's POV

Early the next morning, I awoke to a tapping on the window. I got out of bed, seeing a messenger pigeon on the window sill. It had a scroll tied to its leg. I opened the window to let it in, and it flew over to my vanity table. I laughed, following it. I gently took the scroll off its leg as it investigated the notes strewn across the table. The message read:

My love,  
I have a surprise for you, in Voathiel. Meet me there when you're awake. No need to wake the boys. Oh, and this is my messenger pigeon. Her name is Shelby. Careful, she eats paper.  
With love,  
Maureen  
I looked up, seeing Shelby chewing on the end of one of my notes.  
“Oh fuck, now you tell me!” I dropped the letter, taking the note from the pigeon, who cooed at me. I took the letter from the floor, smiling when I read "my love" again. I picked up Shelby, moving her to the windowsill and away from any important paper. Afterwards, I went into my closet, looking for a nice dress to wear for Maureen. “Nice” being slightly torn, but I liked it that way. I looked in the mirror, placing my tiara on my head. I smiled. I’m the queen of Voathiel, and no one can take that away from me.  
Once I was dressed, I decided to walk to Voathiel. It was a nice day outside, and Voathiel wasn't too far from Mirardot. I began thinking about what Maureen had planned. Voathiel was nothing more than burned down buildings and ashes. There was nothing left. I hated thinking about it, my once lively kingdom burned to a sad pile of rubble, but it's my reality, just the way that it is. Maureen and I are going to fix it, but… it's still sad.  
I ran my hand along my dagger absentmindedly, going back to Maureen. What was she planning, and why was it in Voathiel? I love Maureen, but she can be… interesting. I continued walking, but couldn’t think of anything. Well, it was certainly going to be a surprise. At least I got to see Maureen again. I smiled at the thought of her. God… I’m so in love. And gay.  
At last, I reached Voathiel. It was… emotional. I hadn’t been back since I was taken. I stood there, staring. Looking at what once used to be our walls, the gate… I just froze. I was somehow feeling everything and nothing at once. After a few minutes, I walked further inside, looking for Maureen. But then… I saw houses. Real, standing houses. And the broken pieces of what used to be buildings were gone. It was beautiful, in a strange kind of way.  
“Do you like it?” Maureen appeared from one of the buildings.  
“When… how…” I couldn’t form words.  
“I recruited some people from my camp to help me, a few weeks ago. We cleaned up, and built a few houses. It’s only three at the moment, but… I wanted to start,” Maureen explained.  
I pulled her in for a hug. “I love you,” I said.  
Maureen laughed happily, wrapping her arms around me. “I love you, too,” she smiled.  
“I just… I can’t believe it,” I looked around, after she let me go.  
“Seeing you so passionate about your kingdom… it inspired me. I really wanted to do something big for you. And I’m really excited to be a queen, surprisingly,” Maureen fidgeted with her hands, smiling a little.  
“So am I,” I took the tiara off my head, then placed it gently on Maureen’s.  
Maureen grinned. “Thank you,” she said. “Oh, and I brought breakfast, so we can have a picnic together,” she continued.  
“Are you asking me out?” I smirked.  
“We’re dating!” Maureen exclaimed.  
I laughed. “Okay okay, but that’s actually really cute. And… this’ll probably be our first official date,” I smiled.  
“Awwww, yeah, it will be,” she took my hand.  
Maureen led me into one of the houses. “It’s not furnished yet, but it’s a house,” she said.  
“It’s amazing. Is there even a second floor?” I noticed a staircase.  
“Yeah. A lot of people were helping, so we were able to build a lot,” Maureen explained as she laid a blanket on the floor.  
I smiled at the thought of so many people wanting to help Voathiel. It makes me feel less hopeless.  
“You know… the castle isn’t going to be built for a few years, but we could move in here after the coronation. It’s not the prettiest kingdom yet, but we’re making good progress. And I could have this place furnished in a few weeks,” Maureen offered.  
“Wow… we could,” I was in shock. It felt like it was going to be a lot longer, but it didn’t have to be. I sat next to Maureen on the floor.  
“I’ve been working on moving camp leadership to Clarice anyway. She’s always been my secretary, but she wants to run the camp,” Maureen continued, opening the picnic basket.  
“Yeah. I really want to. I want to be with you all the time, and… well, no offense to Mark and Roger, but I kind of hate it in Mirardot. It’s a lot better now that they’re dead but…” I trailed off.  
“I get it,” Maureen looked down, busying herself with laying out the food.  
“But by the coronation, we can actually start moving people in, if we can build more houses by then,” I moved to a happier topic.  
“Yeah! Even if we can only move in some people, it’s still a start. And I’ve been talking to the people from Voathiel in the camp who want to move in, and the people from other places that do. There’s definitely enough people to have a kingdom. Not a big kingdom, but that’s okay,” Maureen rambled, smiling. She sounded like Mark, but cuter. She handed me a bagel.  
I nodded, accepting the food. “I’m so excited,” I smiled.  
“So am I,” Maureen rested her head on my shoulder.  
After a moment of eating in silence, I spoke again. “Wow, our kids are going to live here someday,” I smiled.  
“Joanne, we’ve been dating for days,” Maureen told me, though she was smiling.  
“Am I moving too fast for you?” I traced lines along her hand.  
“No, it’s just crazy to think about. I never thought I’d make it this far,” Maureen replied.  
“Well, you did, and I’m very proud of you for it,” I pressed a kiss against her cheek.  
Maureen laughed softly. “I love you,” she said.  
“I love you more,” I replied.  
‘Also, when we do have kids, they’re going to be very cute because of you,” Maureen said.  
“No, they’ll be cute because of you,” I deflected her compliment.  
“Well, I guess our babies will just be extra cute,” she said.  
“And they’ll know how to fight,” I said.  
“You’re not giving our babies weapons,” Maureen looked at me.  
“Not weapons, tiny baby swords,” I grinned.  
“Joanne, that’s dangerous,” Maureen said, exasperated.  
“You’re no fun,” I sighed.  
“And you need to learn how to keep children safe,” she told me.  
“I didn’t say they’d be dangerous swords,” I rested my head against my girlfriend's arm.  
“Tell me what sword isn’t dangerous,” Maureen said.  
“Wooden swords,” I told her.  
“Splinters are still a possibility,” she countered.  
“Yeah, but…” I didn’t have a rebuttal. Fuck.  
“Looks like I’m the better parent,” Maureen smirked.  
“Hey! We don’t even have kids yet,” I pouted.  
“And we won’t for a few years. But… well, we can always move a little faster, if you want,” Maureen’s hand moved up my leg.  
“Maureen! We’re not exactly somewhere private,” I felt my face heat up.  
“The only others that could be here are people from the camp, and I told them to leave us alone for today,” Maureen gave me a sultry smile.  
“You planned this, didn’t you?” I looked at her, not denying the fact that I wanted this.  
“Maybe… and we don’t need furniture to have fun,” she moved to sit on top of me.  
“True,” I kissed her messily.  
Maureen deepened the kiss, her arms wrapping around me. And… well, I won’t go into detail, but that was certainly a… heated morning, and it wasn’t because of the weather.

After Maureen and I’s… fun, we walked back to the castle together, hand in hand.  
“Oh… we’re going to have to go through Mirardot,” I commented.  
“Yeah… but it’s okay. I’m not going to be able to avoid it forever,” Maureen said.  
“I guess so,” I replied.  
“Besides, once Mark and Roger are officially kings anyone really bad will probably leave, or at least be less vocal. It’ll be better then,” Maureen continued.  
“Of course. And we could always use Mirardot’s guillotine for better purposes,” I grinned.  
Maureen laughed. “That’s also an option,” she said.  
After a few minutes of walking, I looked up. We had reached Mirardot’s gates.  
“You ready?” I glanced at Maureen.  
“Yeah, I think so,” Maureen said.  
I nodded, squeezing her hand. We headed inside the gate, which led into downtown Mirardot.  
“Wow… I forgot how many people lived here,” Maureen said, looking around.  
“There are a lot of people. Do you think anyone will recognize you?” I asked.  
“I doubt it. I look different, and I’m pretty much irrelevant around here now,” she replied.  
“That’s good. Well, not the irrelevant part. You’re very relevant to me,” I said.  
Maureen laughed. “Thanks,” she smiled.  
We continued our walk, talking about everything and nothing. It didn’t matter to me, as long as I was with Maureen. Eventually, though, it had to come to an end, when we reached the castle.  
“I know you don’t want to go inside, so we can say goodbye out here,” I said.  
Maureen nodded, taking my other hand. I reached up to kiss her softly.  
After a few minutes, we pulled away. “I do wish I could see Mark… but I really don’t want to go inside,” Maureen glanced at the castle.  
“Well, I could make him come out here,” I offered.  
“What are you going to do?” Maureen looked at me.  
“His window is right there, so…” I picked up a rock.  
“Joanne! That’s not nice,” Maureen said.  
I laughed. “So you’re saying I shouldn’t?” I grinned mischievously.  
“Well, I didn’t say that,” Maureen replied.  
“Good!” I threw the rock at Mark’s window.  
A few seconds later, his window opened. “Hey! What was that for?” he asked, poking his head out the window.  
“Your sister wants to see you!” I called back.  
“You could’ve just said that,” Mark grumbled, closing the window.  
Maureen laughed. “Good job,” she said.  
“Thank you,” I grinned.  
A few minutes later, Mark exited the castle, followed by Roger.  
“Hello nerd and his boyfriend,” Maureen greeted them.  
“Hey, you’re also a nerd,” Mark replied.  
“Where did you two go?” Roger asked.  
“Maureen surprised me-”  
“With sex?” Roger interrupted.  
“No! Well-” I blushed.  
Roger started laughing.  
“That’s not the point!” Maureen sighed.  
“I hope you used condoms,” Mark teased.  
“Yeah, we’re not having kids, thank you,” I replied. “Anyway, what I was going to say is, Maureen and some others started rebuilding Voathiel. There’s already three houses built,” I smiled.  
“Awwww, that’s sweet,” Mark smiled.  
Maureen nodded. “I’m just excited to rebuild Voathiel,” she smiled.  
“Very excited,” Roger grinned.  
“Oh my god, when do you stop?” I said.  
“Never,” Roger giggled.  
“Joanne is not the one who’s going to get pregnant first, I see,” Maureen joked.  
We all paused for a second. Maureen was joking, but didn’t know that her joke happened to be true. I glanced at Roger.  
“Well… you’re not wrong,” he said, more serious now.  
“Wait…” Maureen’s eyes widened.  
“It was an accident but… yeah,” Mark looked down.  
“Jeez…” Maureen paused. “You’re not even adults and now you need to run a kingdom and have a baby?” she said.  
“Yeah,” Roger sighed.  
“Fuck,” she replied.  
“We’ve got each other though, it’ll be okay,” Mark took Roger’s hand.  
I nodded. “And hey, at least Roger isn’t an orphan,” I said.  
Roger laughed. “My mom has already been really helpful,” he smiled.  
“Wow… so much has happened and it isn’t even noon yet,” Maureen said.  
“It’s always an adventure with us,” I added.  
She nodded. “I should get back to my camp but… good luck? Is that what I should say?” Maureen said.  
Roger laughed. “I think so,” he said.  
“Alright then, good luck,” Maureen replied, turning to kiss me.  
After, Maureen hugged Mark. “Don’t get anyone else pregnant,” she told him, smirking.  
“It was one time!” he said.  
Mark and Roger went inside, and I said goodbye to Maureen one more time before watching her go. Thinking of when we could finally be together all the time. I sighed, then went back inside.


End file.
